Fair pitcher

In use#

In Wu Deliang’s illustrated lesson, the pot empties into a pale pitcher before the cups are filled. Collecting the infusion creates a separate serving stage after brewing.

1. Empty the brewed tea from the pot into the pitcher.
2. The pitcher now holds the infusion to be shared.
3. Serve the cups from the pitcher.

吳德亮《台灣的茶園與茶館》 · PDF 36–37 · 圖2 / fig. 2 · PDF 38

Follow the name together with the action. Wu calls the serving pitcher 茶海. Li Bingyan and Lin Nan also use 茶海, 茶船 and 茶洗 for a washing basin. In their illustrated tray-and-basin arrangement, rinse water drains through the upper tray into the lower basin.

李炳炎、林楠《潮州茶器（1860—2020）》 · 第四章 第六节 器型 · 三、茶洗、茶盘、茶垫 · 圖4-106

Compare the documented serving routes

Form#

Body

1cylindrical, flared, or waisted pitcher in porcelain, stoneware, or borosilicate glass with a pinched V-shaped pouring lip (鴨嘴流 / 三角流) at the rim

Handle

either handleless (gripped by the upper rim or a waisted neck, as in Japanese katakuchi-influenced 勻杯) or fitted with a C-shaped ear loop handle opposite the spout or a side handle

Lid

Open and lidded examples are documented. A removable strainer can rest on the rim.⁷

Base

2flat recessed ring foot (圈足)

¹⁴⁵ Numbers mark the parts described under Form.

Working volume#

Choose working volume for the intended fill level and number of drinkers. Measure the individual vessel; a shape name or exterior dimensions do not establish usable capacity. Allow room for leaves and ensure the receiving cups or pitcher can hold the infusion.

Variants and sub-types#

History#

1. Ming–Qing (namesake)Popular lore links the mainland name 公道杯 ('fair cup') to a porcelain wine cup with an internal siphon column (九龍公道杯) that drains completely if filled past a set line; the tea pitcher shares only the moral idea of equal shares, not the siphon mechanism.¹
2. late 1970s–1982 (Taiwan)Taiwanese tea-art (茶藝) pioneers — notably Cai Rongzhang (蔡榮章) at the Lu Yu Tea Art Center (陸羽茶藝中心, founded 1980), who popularized the term 茶盅 (cházhōng) or 茶海 (cháhǎi), and Zhou Yu (周渝) at Wistaria Tea House (紫藤廬), who called it 勻杯 (yúnbēi, 'even-dividing cup') — introduce a decanting pitcher to replace the traditional Chaozhou round-pouring technique (關公巡城). A February 1982 Taiwan Panorama report already documents the 茶盅 in 台北 tea-art houses.²⁴⁵
3. 1984A second Taiwan Panorama report classifies standard tea-art utensils into four core vessels: pot (壺), cup (杯), pitcher (盅), and basin (池), noting that the pitcher prevents the leaves from over-steeping in the pot.³
4. 1990s–presentAs Taiwanese tea-art practices spread across mainland China in the 1990s, the vessel becomes standard in gongfu tea sets under the name 公道杯 or 茶海, while Taiwanese studio potters also adapt handleless Japanese katakuchi (片口) sake pourers and sencha yuzamashi (water coolers).⁴⁵

Attributions are shown as the source states them.

Related#