************************************************

Many ordinary things may have extraordinary stories. The story of teapot is, undoubtedly, a long and interesting one.

The emergence of teapot can be traced back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), an important transitional period of tea drinking in the history of China. The manufacture of tea cakes was prohibited by the emperor Taizu (1368-1398) in the 24th year of Hongwu (1391), bringing about the adoption of loose-leaf tea. Subsequent to the change of tea preparation method, the use of ewers and tea bowls went out of fashion. New utensils which were more suitable for brewing loose-leaf tea became the vogue of the day, marking the beginning of the story of teapots.

Those who wish to know more about the interesting stories of tea wares should not miss the exhibition - "A Story About Teapots" - now running till February 17, 2002 at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware.

The exhibition features over 100 items of teapots and tea wares from the K.S. Lo Collection, dated from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to the 20th centuries, to illustrate the history of teapots as well as the processes of ceramic and tea production in the 19th century. Besides, tea wares by Hong Kong potters are also exhibited.

The evolution of the size of teapots and the aesthetic heights of teapots making are illustrated by a wide spectrum of exhibits ranging from the Ming and Qing dynasties' Yixing potteries, underglaze-blue, monochrome or polychrome tea wares manufactured in Jingdezhen to different kinds of export tea wares.

In late Ming period, the development of ceramic production was further accelerated by the growth of foreign trade. Teapot was one of the major export items at that time. In this exhibition, visitors can have a glimpse of the underglaze blue or enamels kettles and bowls exported to Japan and one of the eight Yixing teapots found on board of a Dutch sunken vessel, the Geldermalsen. The Yixing teapot on display reflects the taste of the European markets and the popularity of tea drinking in Europe during the Ming period. Besides, globular teapot with gold mounting commissioned by King Rama in 1907 as well as the underglaze blue ware made for Vietnam market are also featured in this exhibition to show the significance of export tea wares.

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong. It opens from 10am to 5pm daily except Mondays when the Museum is closed (closing day changed to Tuesdays commencing October 1, 2001). Admission is free.

For details of the exhibition, please call 2869 0690 or visit the Museum's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/hkma/

End/Wednesday, August 8, 2001

NNNN