The Neolithic period marked the genesis of wine vessel culture, witnessing the emergence of various ceramic drinking vessels-such as zoomorphic gray pottery gui pitchers, large gray pottery zun jars, and boat-shaped painted pottery flasks. During the Three Dynasties period of the Shang and Zhou (21st century–221 BCE), ritual systems reached maturity; wine rituals became inextricably intertwined with politics, and bronze vessels-such as the tubular-spouted jue, the standard jue, the *jia* tripod, and zoomorphic *zun* jars-came to epitomize the Bronze Age civilization.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, wine culture entered a new phase characterized by a diverse array of drinking vessels varying widely in both material and form-including jade zhi cups adorned with *kui* dragons and phoenixes, gilt-bronze *zun* jars supported by bear-shaped feet, and yellow-glazed flattened flasks depicting the "Hu-teng" dance. The Sui and Tang dynasties ushered in a new era defined primarily by porcelain vessels-such as white-glazed, melon-shaped ewers with gold rims-and complemented by gold and silver vessels, such as silver cups engraved with patterns of wild geese and floral sprigs; this period was notably marked by distinct characteristics of cultural fusion.
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Northern Song regime upheld the tradition of porcelain wine vessels; the "Five Great Official Kilns" and the kilns at Jingdezhen produced a vast quantity of exquisite ceramics, such as the celadon inverted-filling ewers from the Yaozhou kilns. The Yuan dynasty, conversely, saw the emergence of innovative vessel forms, such as the *yuhong* (underglaze red) stem-cups with rotating interiors.
The Ming and Qing dynasties witnessed the zenith of porcelain wine vessel development, with the ceramic industry flourishing particularly during the Yongle and Xuande reigns. Concurrently, a variety of metal vessels-such as gold *jue* cups set in gold stands and gold arrow-vases-as well as Yixing stoneware vessels-such as the peach-shaped cups crafted by Xiang Shengsi-also rose to prominence.