{"id":1467,"date":"2024-11-04T15:42:26","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T15:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teeregen.de\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2024-11-04T15:42:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T15:42:27","slug":"yixing-clay-teapot-tianji-celestial-chicken-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teeregen.de\/en\/yixing-clay-teapot-tianji-celestial-chicken-shape\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Teapot Shapes – Tianji"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Winner winner, chicken teapot.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\u5929\u9e21
–
tianji
–
celestial chicken
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When I first saw this yixing teapot, I thought it was a joke\u2026but alas, this is a thing. A heavenly chicken teapot is a yixing pot with a round body and the head of the chicken as the spout and the tail as the handle. These features can be subtle or really prominent and everything in between. Another name for it is \u9e21\u9996\u58f6 ji shou hu (\u2018chicken head teapot\u2019), but I will just call it chicken teapot from now on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also teapots and ceramics with other animals, but the chicken is the most representative. Also keep in mind that this is not some regular old chicken but a heavenly chicken! Chickens were an essential part of everyday life, not only for eggs and meat but the rooster also announced the start of each day. Also, \u9e21 ji and \u5409 ji sound similar, so the chicken pot represents luck and auspiciousness (\u5409\u7965 ji xiang).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mansheng also designed a chicken pot. Curiously enough, Mansheng\u2019s chicken teapot doesn\u2019t have any other chickenly features, neither chicken head nor tail. But the inscription is interesting: \u5929\u9e21\u9e23\uff0c\u5b9d\u9732\u76c8  ti\u0101n j\u012b m\u00edng, b\u01ceo l\u00f9 y\u00edng meaning \u2018when the heavenly chicken crows, one collects the precious dew.\u2019 Dew, snow and rain was considered \u2018heavenly water\u2019 in ancient China – unpolluted water perfect for tea. Important especially when \u2018earthly water\u2019 such as rivers, ponds, lakes etc. were probably not safe to drink directly. In the famous Chinese novel \u2018Dream of the Red Chamber\u2019, there is a tea scene where the characters discuss the merits of brewing tea with plum blossom snow water and there is lots of flexing about tea knowledge going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the origins of the chicken teapot date further back: During the Han Dynasty, the chicken was seen as a virtuous bird. Chicken earthenware was found from as early as the \u664b jin Dynasties (266-420 AD). Porcelain or ceramics decorated with chicken were widely spread. Believe it or not, but there were also different styles of chicken teapots developed over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For matching teaware, you could look at some Ming Dynasty porcelain chicken cups. Yep, those were also a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get yourself some ‚Teapot Shapes I‘<\/a> and ‚Teapot Shapes II‘<\/a> postcards!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n