Golden Fish Tea Figurine in Yixing Crete

6The Yixing Clay Golden Fish Tea Fig urine is a beautiful Yixing clay figurine used in the traditional tea ceremony.

The figurines in the Chinese tea ceremony

If you have ever seen the Chinese Gunfu Cha tea ceremony in China, you have probably noticed that almost every tea tray (Chaban) has a clay figurine – “茶宠” (tea animal). It is a small Yixing clay artwork, which is constantly bathed during the tea ceremony as an omen of good luck and fortune.
In China, tea figurines are revered on a par with pets, even though they are basically small objects made to decorate the tea tray. In some Chinese families, the dragon figurine can mean the energy of heaven and symbolize a connection with the god Tao, and in another family a talisman given by a deceased grandfather, who remembers him and bestows his wisdom on the family. The tea figurines are therefore always present and have very specific meanings.

“Feed” (bathe) your tea pet

You can wet your tea figurine with the hot water you used to warm the tea utensils before drinking it or you can use the water you washed the tea leaves with at the beginning of the ceremony. Over time, the figurine will absorb the aroma and smell of the tea, and you will notice a color difference in the clay. The tea animals are many and different, and can also be small, medium or very large. They tend to be very simple, but with a sophisticated design. They can be animals, people, beetles or even mythical creatures.

Using Chinese tea figurines in meditation

Some scientists have proven that by focusing attention on one object and relaxing, the human brain begins to work at a different frequency, similar in vibration to the frequency of the brains of monks and saints. In such a state of consciousness, a person starts from a stereotyped thought and gets the opportunity to tune in to the waves necessary to get an answer to a long-standing question of interest. It is this effect that is called “aid from above” or “council of the ancestors”. While drinking tea, it is easier to reach this state, because the tea relieves nervous and physical tensions, and the tea figurines help to set and focus attention.