Tea pet facts for kids
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A tea pet (also called chachong) is a small clay figure that some tea drinkers keep for good luck. These cool figures are usually made from a special type of clay called "zisha" or Yixing clay. This clay comes from the Yixing area in China. Just like special teapots made from the same clay, tea pets are not shiny or glazed. They usually have one color and a slightly rough surface.
People often place a tea pet on a special tea tray. During tea time, they pour tea over the pet. Because the tea pet is not glazed, it soaks up some of the tea. Over time, this makes the tea pet change color and even smell like tea!
One very popular tea pet is called the "pee-pee boy." If you soak it in cold water first, then pour hot water over it, it will squirt out the water it soaked up! Tea pets are also shaped like animals from the Chinese Zodiac or Chinese mythical creatures. These include dragons, pixiu, and qilin. They are meant to bring good luck, fortune, and happiness. You can also find tea pets shaped like famous historical or mythical people.
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The Story of Tea Pets
The home of tea pets is a place called Yixing in China. This area first became famous for its special Yixing clay during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE). As teapots made from Yixing clay became popular, Yixing grew into a major center for making teapots, mugs, and other tea items.
Later, artists who made teapots started shaping Yixing clay into different mythical creatures or animals. These became mascots for people who loved tea. Even today, most tea pets are still made in the Yixing region. While Yixing has been making tea products for a long time, there isn't much written history about how tea pets first started.
Different Kinds of Clay
Tea pets are usually handmade using unglazed Yixing clay. This means the tea pet keeps the natural color of the clay. There are three main kinds of Yixing clay: purple, red, and green. A tea pet can be made from one of these clays, or from a mix of two to create different colors.
- Purple clay is the most common type. After it's baked, it turns red-brown or dark-brown. Artists sometimes add iron clay to get a nicer color.
- Red clay is also known as "stock yellow." It shrinks a lot more than purple clay when it's baked. After baking, it turns a bright red color. Because it shrinks so much, red clay is great for making smaller things like tea pets and small teapots.
- Green clay looks like a duck egg shell before it's baked. After baking, it turns off-white. This clay is rarer and more expensive than purple clay.
Taking Care of Your Tea Pet
Taking care of a tea pet is similar to taking care of a Yixing clay teapot. People usually pour leftover tea or water used to rinse tea leaves over their tea pet. They might also use a special tea brush to gently wipe the surface. This helps the tea pet soak up the tea evenly.
It's important to only rinse tea pets with plain water. Never use soap or dish-washing liquid! This helps the tea pet slowly get a richer color over time. After many months or even years of care, the tea pet will soak up the tea and look much shinier.
The "Pee-Pee Boy" Tea Pet
The "pee-pee boy" is the most famous and popular type of tea pet. Most of these figures are about 3 inches tall and are a red-brown color.
The special thing about the "pee-pee boy" is that it can squirt water when hot water is poured on it. Here's how it works: The tea pet is hollow inside. You first put it in cold water until it fills up. Then, you shake it a little to make sure it's about half full of water. After that, if you pour hot water over its head, it will "pee" if the water is hot enough! The hotter the water, the farther it "pees."
This trick works because of something called thermal expansion of air. This means that air takes up more space when it gets hot. The "pee-pee boy" is designed to be hollow with only one tiny opening. Water slowly flows into it. When hot water is poured on its head, the air inside the tea pet gets hot and expands. This pushes the water out through the tiny opening. Scientists have even studied this to show how it can measure water temperature!
Recently, this idea of hot air pushing water has been used in other tea pets. For example, some dragons can "breathe" water, and some tortoises can "spray" water.
Tea Pets in Movies
Tea Pets is a 2017 Chinese 3D computer animated movie. It's about the adventures of a group of tea pet clay figures. The film was made by Light Chaser Animation Studios.
