#myp

Hello since I saw cute tea pets in the show I wanted to make a mini post about them mainly to point look how cute! And also let people know if they're unfamiliar. Disclaimer, I am not a tea master, I don't do gongfu cha 工夫茶 so this is just very general brief knowledge I know!

Chinese tea ceremony will usually throw out the first wash of the leaves for a few different reasons (there are exceptions to this depending on tea type!!). The first wash or rinse is just that it's not meant for brewing, considered cleaner, opens up the tea for better steeping and a better first taste.

No worries though! The first wash is considered perfect to pour over your tea pet(s). Tea pets or 茶宠 literally tea 茶 and to dote on, pamper, spoil etc 宠 are clay figurines that accompy a tea master during tea making. Usually unglazed so that the clay (often a special kind) changes color over time as you feed your tea pet. I know the ones in the show are colorful and to that I say it's TV not everything is real or true 🤪 but the essence is there! Why do 茶宠 exist? They're considered a type of companion as you go onto the journey, the road of cultivating tea skills symbolyzing good fortune even wisdom as they grow with you. lol i don't know humans are both vastly different and vastly the same in different eras they like cute lil figurines 😊

Tang Lici feeds his tea pets as he prepares tea hence the pouring water or tea onto them. It's hard to track his exact process since it's only done in the background and with scene cuts. Chi Yun also pours a cup out (im guessing it's the rinse of the cup step?) as Lici gives him a look™️ though I can't speak to if this is considered rude generally or if it's more familiar to feed someone else's tea pet as they make tea. Chi Yun also specfically pours over the fox figurine rather than his own 😆 which takes me to my next obersvation!

Netizens faster than me have pointed out Tang Lici's tea pet collection grows! Starting with 2 that can be considered representative of him and Chi Yun, grows to a group that represents Tang Lici's friends who he famously says he doesn't have 😆

So that's 茶宠 tea pets now people know why he pours tea/water over them. I like that it's a subtle cute indicator of Lici's growing group and hopefully 😱 they don't end up like his last group of friends or polycule or found family

All mistakes are my own hopefully no glaring ones 😖

bonus true to my word 🫡