In 1987, a set of 7 luxurious royal tea utensils of the Tang Dynasty was unearthed from the underground palace of Famen Temple in Fufeng County of Shaanxi Province. They were made by an imperial institution called Wensiyuan and kept underground as offerings to Buddha by Emperor Xizong of Tang. The utensils are exquisitely made, demonstrating superb craftsmanship and the unique style of the tea rituals at the Tang Dynasty court.
The exhibition consists of three parts: “Chinese Tea”, “Tea in the Tang Dynasty”, and “Tea Going Overseas”. They respectively interpret the Chinese background of tea culture, the prosperity of tea culture in the Tang Dynasty, and the spread of Chinese tea culture worldwide. By exhibiting the tea set in a spacious room, the exhibition displays the delicate beauty of the utensils, with interpretive panels, multimedia and interactions with the audience to create an immersive cultural atmosphere.
Tea drinking was prevalent in the Tang Dynasty among different social classes, ethnic groups and regions, forming a deep-rooted and diverse tea culture. It leads to the prosperity of tea literature. The publication of a number of specialized books on tea studies, such as The Classic on Tea and The Sixteen Methods of Brewing Tea marked the emergence of Chinese tea study as an independent science, combining tea with both Daoism and art as a spiritual enjoyment.