How Jade-Green Glaze Is Made
Longquan celadon tea set with jade-green glaze arranged on a warm wooden table.
At first glance, Longquan celadon looks quiet: a cool green cup, a soft shine, a glaze that seems to hold light under the surface. Then you see how it is made, from drained glaze slurry to kiln flame, and the calm color begins to feel less simple. It is clay, minerals, water, heat, and patience held in one piece of teaware.
The video by Shanbai follows this craft in close detail. It does not explain Longquan celadon through museum language. It shows hands, vats, drying boards, grinding, sieving, and the slow work that happens long before a tea cup reaches the table.
The Quiet Green That Made Longquan Famous
Traditional Longquan celadon clay workshop with pottery forms and hand tools
Longquan celadon began during the Three Kingdoms and Western Jin periods and flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty. Over time, the Longquan kilns became one of the largest and longest-running celadon traditions in Chinese ceramic history. The work traveled widely through maritime trade, carrying a recognizable green glaze far beyond Zhejiang.
In 2009, the traditional firing technology of Longquan celadon was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. That recognition matters because Longquan celadon is not only a historical style. It is a living process passed through workshops, families, teachers, and apprentices.
The color comes from a glaze rich in mineral character. In a reducing kiln atmosphere, iron in the glaze develops tones that range from pale fenqing, a milky blue-green, to deeper meizi qing, often translated as plum green. The result is not a flat painted surface. A good celadon glaze feels layered, as if the green sits inside the glassy skin of the piece.
Longquan is also known for two broad style families. Ge ware is associated with dark crackle lines that collectors often call "golden threads and iron wires." Di ware is known for thicker, smoother green glazes. Both styles share the same central question: how much depth can a quiet green hold?
From Purple-Gold Clay to an Aged Glaze
Ceramic artisan preparing and grinding Longquan celadon glaze materials
The Shanbai video begins with one of the least glamorous and most important parts of the process: water management. The glaze slurry is drained, dewatered to the right state, then left to age. The subtitles describe it plainly: drain off water, air-dry in the shade, prepare the glaze, grind, sieve, remove iron, then age the glaze again in the vat.
Longquan recipes traditionally use local purple-gold clay together with mineral materials such as burned limestone, glaze stone, feldspar, quartz, and plant ash. In the video, calcined lime from burned limestone is mixed with glaze stone and purple-gold clay in proportion. Water is added, and the mixture is stirred and finely ground until it can coat the vessel evenly.
That slow preparation shapes the final surface. If the particles are too coarse, the glaze may not settle smoothly. If excess iron remains, the color can turn muddy. If the glaze has not aged enough, it may apply without the same depth. The beauty people notice at the end begins here, in work that is easy to miss.
The clay body matters too. Longquan celadon is high-fired stoneware. Forms are shaped, trimmed, dried, and often refined until the profile feels balanced in the hand. For a tea set, this is practical as much as visual: the rim, foot, lid fit, and cup weight all affect the way a brewing session feels.
Why the Kiln Decides the Color
Traditional kiln firing used to create Longquan celadon jade-green glaze
Glaze preparation sets the stage, but the kiln decides the ending. Longquan celadon is fired at high heat, with temperatures that may reach about 1,310 degrees Celsius. UNESCO describes the traditional process as a repeated cycle of heating and cooling, where over-firing or under-firing can spoil the effect.
Experienced celadon makers read both instruments and flame. Temperature matters, but so does atmosphere. Under reduction, oxygen is limited, and the iron in the glaze changes the way it expresses color. This is where jade green, blue green, lavender grey, and plum green begin to separate from one another.
Chinese potters often describe kiln change with the phrase "one color enters the kiln, ten thousand colors emerge." It is not just poetry. The same glaze can vary depending on where the piece sits in the kiln, how heat moves around it, and how cooling unfolds. That is why handmade Longquan celadon often carries subtle variation from piece to piece.
For tea lovers, this variation is part of the charm. A celadon gaiwan or cup does not need loud decoration. The glaze itself becomes the visual field: quiet enough for daily use, deep enough to keep revealing small changes in light.
How Longquan Celadon Works on a Tea Table
Gongfu tea cups and Longquan celadon teaware arranged for a calm tea session
Longquan celadon belongs naturally beside tea because it combines beauty with function. High-fired celadon is dense and vitrified, so it is well suited to repeated brewing sessions. It is easy to rinse, comfortable to handle, and visually calm around green tea, oolong, white tea, or pu-erh.
The pale green glaze also helps tea color read clearly. In a small cup, liquor becomes part of the scene: amber oolong against cool green, pale dragonwell against a jade-like surface, or aged tea against a quiet glazed interior. The vessel does not compete with the tea. It frames it.
If you are building a Gongfu tea set, Longquan celadon can be a gentle starting point. A gaiwan, fairness cup, and two or four small cups are enough for daily practice. For technique, our guide on how to use a gaiwan pairs well with celadon because the smooth rim and balanced weight make repeated infusions feel approachable.
As a gift, a Longquan celadon tea set carries a story without needing a long explanation. It speaks of patience, local materials, and craft knowledge passed from hand to hand. For more setup ideas, see how to choose a Chinese tea set for beginners.
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