What is a tea table?
- Liyang Sheng
- Jun 7
- 3 min read
Liyang Sheng conveys tea culture in delicate, deeply researched pictures. Her blog post explores the process of creating a tea table
Drinking tea begins before the act of drinking tea itself. Where we drink tea contributes greatly to the atmosphere and the pleasure we derive from drinking tea. As the saying goes, ‘You eat with your eyes first.’ The eye also ‘drinks’ first, wandering over the carefully selected cloth on which our utensils rest. It lingers on the clay pot chosen to match the tea and our favourite cup. It rests on the little souvenir we brought back from our holiday, a pebble from the beach that serves as decoration.
In everyday life, we often choose the quickest path, but it can be a nice ritual to take your time and carefully prepare the tea table to suit the season, the mood and the selected tea.
In Japan, for example, great importance is attached to the design of the tea room and, in particular, the tea alcove ‘tokonoma’. The scroll and the flower arrangement in the alcove change according to the season and occasion.
The tableware is also chosen with care, with lighter or darker colours depending on the time of year, perhaps with decorative seasonal plants. Based on this, the so-called ‘art of tea’ – cha yi – developed in Taiwan. Like a Gesamtkunstwerk, it is about more than just the tea itself. Tea as an art form is also a search for identity.
In our small setting, the tea room is a reflection of our identity. The longer you drink tea, the more likely it is that your entire room will become dedicated to tea, from calligraphy and pictures on the wall to a Chinese wooden cabinet and a bookcase full of tea literature. The furnishings are, of course, a matter of taste and therefore highly personal. Our preferred tea and the style of our tableware are almost as specific and individual as a fingerprint. Rustic ceramics or finely painted porcelain, what will it be?
My tea table begins with the cha bu, a cloth mat. I have sewn many of them myself (you can find a tutorial on my website). On special occasions, I use the cloth with the beautiful rich red colour, and for relaxation, the one in a soft sage green. Tea boat or individual islands with coasters? Teapot or gaiwan? Which teacup? How many people are drinking tea with me? How often can I infuse the tea?
Many items in my collection have a story. Some are flea market finds, some are souvenirs from trips to places such as China, Japan, Taiwan and Australia. Every time I drink tea surrounded by them, I am reminded of the places I have visited, the people I met. Gifts from friends are also special, such as a cup that a friend made herself.
Another point that should not be underestimated is accessories. Many people are probably familiar with the Chinese custom of ‘feeding’ a small clay animal with tea. Over time, the colour of the figure changes, recording the many tea sessions it has experienced.
You can also borrow a trick from Chinese garden architecture. In the famous Yu Garden in Suzhou, the massive stones riddled with holes are an allusion to mighty rock formations. The tradition of bonsai attempts to bring wild nature into the garden. In the same way, a beautiful pebble or a collected twig can be beautiful symbols of nature, forming a landscape. At the same time, you can think back to your walk and feel transported back there.
The sky really is your limit. I once met a tea master from Taiwan in Berlin who displayed a bronze latch from a flea market on her table. She found the colour and shape interesting and used it to prop up her tea utensils.
What does your tea table look like? How do you choose your tableware? I hope I've given you some inspiration to transform your tea table into your own personal space.
You can find more about Liyang Sheng on her website www.teeregen.de or on Instagram: @teeregen
