In modern TV dramas and films, whenever there's a scene involving medicine—whether taking it or feeding it—the props used are almost always porcelain bowls and spoons decorated with blue-and-white patterns, polychrome designs, or motifs like "Boundless Longevity." In reality, these styles only became widespread after the Song and Yuan dynasties. In the early Tang Dynasty, porcelain was still in its developmental infancy, and plain celadon or white porcelain with relatively smooth glazes was considered quite good.
The Tang imperial family and nobility preferred using gold and silver utensils, especially when concocting or boiling elixirs, as they strongly believed in the enhancing properties of these precious metals (though this belief was, of course, unscientific). For reference, the Shaanxi History Museum displays Tang-era silver bowls and spoons (known as "silver ze"). Images can be viewed on the author's Weibo account. #####This book's annotations will include numerous historical artifact images. Since the publishing platform doesn't support image uploads, please visit the author's Weibo to view them. Search for the ID "Tang Dynasty Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo—discussions and exchanges are welcome. ????
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