Several hundreds of years ago, Chinese tea sets were introduced to Europe and people there loved them. It seemed they just couldn't get enough. And who could blame them? The thin, paper-like items and beautiful Chinese colors were something that most people had never even dreamed of before. But there were very few around who could afford them.

And then a new kind of porcelain was made in the 18th century that sent everyone wild. Merchants immediately set off for Jingdezhen, China's porcelain capital, to see if they could get their hands on some truly great items.

What was the invention? Famille rose porcelain, which was celebrated for its colorful motifs.

When compared to earlier porcelain, Famille Rose was remarkable for how many colors it incorporated. Making such vibrant colors required much more sophisticated techniques. Painters applied their skills to these tea sets, and potters had to come up with new ways of firing the porcelain so as not to damage the delicate color pigments. The result was truly remarkable.

This caused some emperors to send their best painters down the Jingdezhen to create some truly remarkable Famille rose porcelain items.

Today, few Europeans know that Europe made its own contributions to the irresistible Famille Rose porcelain.

Obviously the new colors used in the famille rose china tea sets had to come from somewhere, but where? Historians say enamels were brought into China by European Jesuit missionaries.

Also, pigments for the colorful Famille Rose porcelain was something China needed to ship from Europe. It wasnt until much later that China learned the techniques to make them.

Famille Rose is still exported from China and across the word to this day. Sometimes, auctions are help selling antique Famille Rose china tea sets. These sets can fetch millions of dollars, as a very specialized set of collectors and Chinese tea set lovers has emerged.

Author D. Cheng has written about Chinese culture, calligraphy, and arts & crafts such as Jingdezhen china tea sets for ages. From time to time, he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. See samples of quality Chinese tea sets.

Posted under Tea