Explanatory text about porcelain cups

Porcelain cups, daily utensils, have been used for drinking water or tea since ancient times. The basic type is mostly straight or open, and the diameter of the mouth edge is almost equal to the height of the cup. Flat bottom, round feet or high feet. Archaeological data show that the earliest cups began in the Neolithic Age. There are pottery cups in Yangshao culture, Longshan culture and Hemudu culture sites. The types of cups in this period are the most peculiar and diverse: there are single-ear or double-ear cups with ears; Most of them are conical, three-legged cups, special-shaped cups and high-handle cups.

Primitive celadon cups appeared from the Warring States to the Han Dynasty, among which the oval cups with shallow bellies and flat ears along the long sides in the Han Dynasty were the most representative. The cups in the Sui Dynasty were mostly small green glazed straight-mouth cakes. The most distinctive are the tri-colored pottery cups and patterned pottery cups in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, it was still popular to match a set of drinking utensils with several small cups. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, cups were mostly straight-mouthed, shallow-bellied, round or high-legged, and the high bottom was trumpet-shaped. Song cups are mostly won by glaze color, such as Longquan kiln and Guan, Ge, Ru kiln and Jun kiln. Among them, the black color decoration under the glaze of Cizhou kiln is quite distinct. The fetal bone of Yuanbei cup is thicker, and small flowers and plants are often printed on the inside of the cup. The Ming and Qing dynasties were the most exquisite times for making cups, with light and thin tires, warm glaze, gorgeous colors and various types. In the Ming Dynasty, there were famous Yongle Handcup, Chenghua Doucai Gao Zubei and Jigang Cup. Gao Zubei is more common in the middle and early period. The cups in Qing dynasty were mostly straight-mouthed, with or without handles in the deep belly, covered or uncovered. Decorative techniques are varied, including blue and white, multicolor, pastel and various monochromatic glazes.