Tea pets are small ceramic figurines or ornaments. These items may serve different purposes, such as bringing luck, be a companion to the tea drinker, or simply for decoration. Each of these purposes will be discussed in detail in this article. Before that, let’s first understand what tea pets really are.
What is a Tea Pet
While tea is by far the most consumed beverage in the world (after water), even most daily tea drinkers don’t know what ‘tea pets’ are. In fact, many people who come across this term the first time, think it’s a typo for ‘tea pot’.
Tea pets are generally made from glazed or unglazed ceramic. For unglazed ceramic it can be either common ceramic or Yixing clay. In a tea ceremony, tea lovers pour some tea over the tea pets, allowing the unglazed surface to absorb the tea. As a result, the tea pet becomes shinier and may change color over time. We will discuss more about this ceremonial practice in a later section of this article.
Sometimes tea pets are partially or fully glazed. In such case, the glaze is often a special kind of crackle glaze. This will the poured over tea to penetrate the cracks, and change its color over time.
Tea Pet Purpose
Tea pets are very personal items, and there may be many reasons why people own tea pets. Below we will discuss the most common reasons and purposes.
Improve the Tea Experience
One may own tea pets to improve the tea experience. What is a better experience may differ per person. For a tea pet to improve one’s tea session, ‘time’ is key. If you’re brewing a quick mug of tea using a tea bag and want to consume it fast, tea pets are likely not suitable to be part of that experience. However, if you often take the time to enjoy a slow tea session, tea pets can improve your tea session. For example, a tea pet can be used to decorate your tea space. However, most of the times tea pets are seen as companions, which we will discuss next.
A Companion
When a tea drinker becomes a tea enthusiast, one advances from simply steeping a mug of tea to enjoying tea the ceremonial way. In a slow tea session, tea pets are often seen as a companion.
This feeling of companionship is strengthened by the fact that tea pets can be nurtured by pouring tea over time. A said before, this will allow the pet to become shinier and sometimes change its color. As a result, it may feel as if you’ve ‘raised’ your tea pet. Below a video in which you can see how one can pour tea over a tea pet.
Tea Pet Before & After
Below a before and after picture a tea pet that was frequently rinsed with tea for 9 months.
This is also why tea pets are often animal, such as frogs, pigs, foxes or rabbits. Sometimes, one picks a tea pet that’s the same as their Chinese zodiac sign. For example, if you’re born in the year of the Pig, you may pick a pig tea pet, further improving one’s connection with it.
In Western countries, cat and dog tea pets are the most popular as they’re the most common pets. Hence, it’s more likely that one regard such tea pets as a companion.
Improve one’s Luck
In China, tea pets are also often owned to improve one’s luck. Not as many people are as superstitious today as in the past. Yet, even people who don’t believe in luck, still love to own these ceramic pets for their fun meaning.
This is why tea pets are often made in animals which are seen as lucky symbols. By far the most common tea pet you see in China is the Three-Legged Money Toad, which is supposed to bring you wealth. To find out more about the legend of this tea pet, you can visit this page: 13 Tea Pets & Their Meaning. In this article, the etiquette regarding how to position the tea pets are also explained in detail.
Home Decoration
At last, tea pets also serve the purpose of decorating one’s home or tea space. Some people don’t even know they own a ‘tea pet’. They may simply buy such figurines as an ornament to decorate one’s home. Or they may have inherited it from their parents or grandparents, and simply keep the figures in memory of them.
Tea enthusiasts who know about tea pets, do not only use them during their tea sessions. They may also place them in their ‘tea corner’, tea space, or tea cabinet for decoration purposes. Simply staring at them when one enters your tea space can result in a feeling of enjoyment. This is why they really worthy to own to many tea lovers.
History of Tea Pets
While the history of tea is extensively documented, we are surprised that there’s so little known about the history of tea pets. There’s only one significant mention of these figures in historical records. In a work from the Ming Dynasty “Yangxian Famous Pottery Records”, there’s a mention of a Yixing clay artist, who makes clay tea pets. It was Chen Zhongmei from the Wanli period in the Ming Dynasty. It’s not certain whether these sculptures actually functioned as tea pets. Given this, most historians assume that tea pet making originated from the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). However, no work from this period survived.
In the Dynasty thereafter, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), tea pets were more common. If you want to see them for yourself, there are many tea pets that you can see in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Most of the works are from the Qianlong period (1735-1796).
Concluding Notes
We’ve written this guide to be as comprehensive as possible. We hope this article answers the questions you previously had about tea pets. If you believe there are other purposes for tea pets, or if tea pets have some special personal meaning to you. Feel free to share them in the comment section below!