The quality of the tea, water, and tea utensils used depended on the status of
the guest. In the forty-fi rst chapter of the Hong lou meng, for example, the family
member with the highest status—the grandmother of Jia Baoyu—is served with
the fi nest tea tray and teacup. In contrast, after Grannie Liu, a woman of low birth,
drinks from a teacup, the girl servant, Adamantina (Miaoyu), orders it to be left
in the foyer. Baoyu conjectures that because Grannie Liu drank from the cup, it
has now become contaminated, and that no matter how priceless the teacup, if
someone of low status touches it, it should be thrown away.
But these stories of women involved in tea and hospitality occur solely inside
the home. When exactly did women begin to drink tea outside the home? The
teahouse (chaguan,