During the Song Dynasty, tea culture and ceramic art flourished side by side, harmonizing and complementing each other. Song ceramics, renowned for their understated elegance, celadon glaze, and imperfect forms, were the vessels of choice for tea rituals of the era. Crafted from kilns such as Ru, Guan, and Ding, these bowls were not designed to dazzle, but to evoke tranquility—reflecting the Song ideal of simple, natural beauty. The smooth surfaces and soft hues of Song porcelain paired beautifully with the vivid green of matcha, transforming every sip into a moment of aesthetic and spiritual reflection. At Song Tea, we inherit this tradition, weaving the balance, form, and quiet refinement of China’s golden age of tea into our creations.
Song ceramics are celebrated as one of the pinnacles of Chinese ceramic artistry, embodying subtle meaning, natural beauty, and masterful craftsmanship. Unlike later dynasties that favored ornate decoration, Song porcelain valued simplicity and serene elegance—qualities that profoundly shaped tea culture, aesthetics, and even modern design. Some of the most revered examples of Song ceramics include:
Ru Ware
The rarest and most venerated of Song porcelains, admired for its soft sky-blue glaze and delicate crackle patterns. Often made for the imperial court, Ru pieces were produced in extremely limited numbers. Their glaze seems to glow from within, like a fine mist drifting over still water.
Guan Ware
Porcelain from the imperial Guan kilns was made exclusively for the royal court. Its glaze is thick and lustrous, often in shades of gray-blue or green, with deliberate crackle patterns across the surface. The bodies are typically substantial and weighty, emphasizing the vessel’s imposing presence. Guan ware symbolized both imperial authority and the cultivated elegance of the scholar-official class.
Ge Ware
Ge ware is distinguished by its unique “dual crackle” glaze: one network of bold, dark lines overlaying another of fine, pale fissures. Its colors range from gray-green to light blue. Often confused with Guan ware, Ge ware is generally believed to have been produced later and in wider circulation.
Ding Ware
Produced in northern China, Ding ware is celebrated for its ivory-white glaze and elegant incised designs. Motifs such as lotuses, peonies, or phoenixes were often impressed into the clay before glazing. These porcelains are delicate and lightweight, yet because they were fired upside down, the rims typically remained unglazed and exposed.
Jun Ware
Jun ware is renowned for its thick, milky glaze, with colors ranging from soft lavender and blue to rich purples, often accented by streaks of red or green. The glaze behaves unpredictably in the kiln, flowing and pooling in natural patterns that create one-of-a-kind color variations. Heavier and more rustic than other Song wares, Jun pieces embody a spirit of experimentation and spontaneity.
