Artists create new tea time vibes

From craftsmanship to designs and processing techniques, festival integrates modernity with tradition, Yang Feiyue reports.

Zhang Zhehao was busy crafting various tea lacquerware in his studio in Sanlitun, Beijing as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached.

Lacquerware and ceramic pieces adorn his place within a quiet community of the bustling commercial area, adding a particularly pleasing vibe.

He felt all his efforts had paid off and took pleasure in that his lacquerware pieces for tea rituals were well-received by visitors to the Teanage (tea and age) Life Fest last weekend through Tuesday, which presented new ways of integration of traditional tea culture and modern life.

"Lacquer-made tea utensils are lighter and resistant against bumps," said the man in his 30s originally from Northwest China's Gansu province.

After finishing animation studies in Guangdong province in 2013, Zhang worked at a local advertising agency for two years when he began to explore lacquer crafting.

"The more I practiced and learned about its history, the deeper I was drawn to it," he said.

In 2016, he quit his job, established his own brand Terra, and started selling lacquer-made tea utensils, including saucers, cup holders and coasters.

"I liked tea since childhood and have found its taste varies with different brewing utensils," he said.

Lacquer has always paired best with wood. The earliest lacquerware discovered from ancient times was made with a wooden core, Zhang noted.

Before the advent of ceramic and metalworking techniques, materials from the natural environment, such as gourds, melons and leaves, were used to craft objects. However, these materials would easily deteriorate over time. Thus, lacquer was discovered as a special coating to render fragile objects more durable.

Zhang uses bark-made paper as a base and applies lacquer before piling more layers into a whole lacquerwork.

"Paper comes from wood, which retains the tradition, but it takes longer to build a piece since a layer has to dry properly before being built upon," he said.

He also ingeniously designed new patterns ranging from insects and plants to minerals on the lacquerware surface through inlaying or mounting.

"The patterns are favored by young people, who find them interesting and pretty," Zhang said.

In his creations, he has also favored other natural materials for lacquerware production, working with the inherent forms of objects.

"For example, I would use gourds as a base and then highlight their appealing features to create pieces. This way, the object is true to its inner and outer beauty, embodying the vision I seek," Zhang explained.

He has spent a great deal of time introducing the culture of lacquerware to visitors who have come to his stand during the event.

"I hope more people find my work interesting and they move on to appreciate tea," he said.