Chinese white wares such as this cup were immensely desirable, both within China and abroad. They have been discovered throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It is one of around 300 pieces found in the Tang Shipwreck. Made at the Xing kilns in northern China, it is of high quality and was probably very expensive even in the 9th century. Fired at a high temperature, it has a pure white body. Rice wine and plum wine were popular drinks in Tang China. They were served warm from bottles, and drunk from cups like this placed on stands. The Tang Shipwreck was a 9th century vessel that was en route from China back to the Middle East when it sank off the coast of Belitung Island in the Java Sea.
