Chinese cultural handmade tea cup ceramic production process

In China, ceramic culture has a long history and carries thousands of years of history and wisdom. Handmade ceramic tea cups integrate the craftsman’s exquisite skills with profound cultural heritage. From clay to exquisite tea cups, each step contains unique ingenuity and artistic charm. The production process can be roughly divided into the following main steps.

1. Material selection and mud matching

High-quality raw materials are the basis for making excellent ceramic tea cups. The mud material for making ceramic tea cups is mainly porcelain clay, and the quality of porcelain clay directly affects the texture, color and firing effect of the tea cups. Craftsmen usually choose porcelain clay with high purity, fine particles and strong plasticity. The selected porcelain clay often contains impurities and needs to go through a washing process. Put the porcelain clay into water and stir it to precipitate the impurities in the soil. After multiple washings, remove the impurities and obtain pure mud. After that, the mud is dehydrated by precipitation, filtration and other methods to make a mud material with a certain humidity and plasticity. In order to make the performance of the clay more stable and adapt to the subsequent molding process, it is also necessary to treat it with aging, that is, to place the clay in a cool and humid environment. After a period of storage, the moisture distribution in the clay is more uniform, and its plasticity and toughness are enhanced.

2. Molding process

Molding is the key link in shaping the clay into the shape of a teacup. Common molding methods include throwing molding, grouting molding and hand-kneading. Among them, throwing molding is one of the most distinctive ways to hand-make ceramic teacups. Throwing molding requires the help of a throwing machine. The craftsman places the aged clay in the center of the turntable of the throwing machine and starts the machine to rotate the turntable quickly. Then, use both hands to control the clay, and through the squeeze, stretch, and pull of the fingers, gradually shape the clay into the shape of the cup body, shaping the cup mouth, cup body, cup bottom and other parts. This process requires extremely high stability and strength control of the craftsman’s technique, and it takes years of experience to master it. Grouting molding is to inject the mud into the mold, and after the mud solidifies and forms in the mold, take out the blank. This method is suitable for making batches of tea cups with more complex shapes. Hand-made molding completely relies on hands. With the craftsman’s understanding of modeling and superb skills, the clay is molded into a unique teacup shape, which gives the teacup more artistic personality.

3. Repairing and decoration

The surface of the molded body may not be flat, and the shape may not be precise enough, so it needs to be repaired. When repairing, fix the body on the repairing machine, and use tools such as repairing knives to trim the inner and outer surfaces of the body to make the thickness of the teacup uniform, the lines smooth, and the shape more perfect.

The decoration link adds rich cultural connotations and artistic beauty to the ceramic teacup. Common decorative techniques include engraving, scratching, printing, painting, etc. Carving is to carve patterns on the surface of the blank with a knife; scratching is to use a pointed tool to draw lines on the blank for decoration; printing is to print patterns on the surface of the blank through a mold; painting is to use various pigments to draw patterns on the blank, such as traditional blue and white, pastel, etc., depicting landscapes, flowers and birds, figures and other patterns with Chinese cultural characteristics, integrating traditional Chinese painting art into tea cups.

4. Drying and bisque firing

The blank after decoration contains more water and needs to be dried to avoid cracking of the blank due to excessive evaporation of water during the firing process. Drying is usually carried out in a drying room, controlling the appropriate temperature and humidity to allow the blank to dry slowly. The hardness of the blank after drying is improved, but it does not have sufficient strength and hardness, so it needs to be bisque fired at this time. Bisque firing is to put the blank into a kiln and fire it at a relatively low temperature (generally around 800℃ – 900℃) to completely evaporate the water in the blank, while improving the strength and hardness of the blank, which is convenient for the subsequent glazing process.

5. Glazing

Glaze is a thin layer of glass covering the surface of ceramic teacups, which not only makes the surface of the teacups smooth and beautiful, but also protects and beautifies them. There are many ways to glaze, such as dipping, spraying, and pouring. Dipping is to completely immerse the body in the glaze liquid so that the glaze liquid adheres evenly to the surface of the body; spraying is to use a spray gun to atomize the glaze liquid and spray it on the surface of the body; pouring is to pour the glaze liquid on the body. Different glazing methods are suitable for teacups of different shapes and sizes, as well as different glaze properties. When glazing, the thickness and uniformity of the glaze layer must be strictly controlled. Too thick or too thin will affect the final effect of the teacup.

6. Glaze firing

The glazed teacup body needs to be glazed and fired, which is a key step in determining the quality and appearance of the teacup. The teacup is placed in a kiln and fired according to a specific heating curve, usually at a temperature between 1200℃ and 1400℃. During the high-temperature firing process, the glaze will undergo a series of physical and chemical changes, forming a smooth, crystal-clear glaze that is tightly bonded to the body. At the same time, the body is further densified at high temperature, and its strength and hardness are greatly improved, eventually forming a ceramic teacup with practical and artistic value. During the firing process, factors such as the temperature and atmosphere (oxidizing or reducing atmosphere) in the kiln will have an important impact on the color and texture of the teacup, and experienced craftsmen are required to monitor and adjust at all times to ensure that the ideal work is fired.

VII. Inspection and Packaging

After the glaze firing is completed, the ceramic teacup needs to be strictly inspected. Check whether the teacup has cracks, deformation, glaze defects and other problems. Only teacups that meet quality standards can enter the market. After the qualified teacups are cleaned, they will be carefully packaged, usually in exquisite gift boxes, which can not only protect the teacups from damage during transportation and storage, but also improve the grade of the product, allowing consumers to feel the unique charm of Chinese ceramic culture when purchasing.

From clay to exquisite handmade ceramic teacups, every process embodies the hard work and wisdom of the craftsmen, and every link inherits China’s thousand-year-old ceramic culture. These handmade teacups are not only practical tea drinking utensils, but also works of art with profound cultural connotations, showing people the unique charm of traditional Chinese craftsmanship.