Shepherd - an integral attribute of the eastern art of tea drinking 
Automatic translate
The tea ceremony has always been a traditional ritual not only in China, Japan, other East Asian states, but also here. Of course, Russian tea drinking with its samovars, saucers, and “bit of sugar” slightly resembles the sophisticated art of making and serving tea in the East. But it is worthy of the same respect, since it embodied the specific traditions of the peoples inhabiting Russia.
As for the Chinese tea culture, apparently the most ancient, since the regions of South-West China, part of Upper Burma and North Vietnam are considered to be the birthplace of this amazing drink, it involves achieving not only purely utilitarian goals (quenching thirst), but, most importantly, - the comprehension of the "four noble truths." Buddhism interprets them as: harmony, veneration, purity and peace. And the main purpose of any tea ceremony is, precisely, this.
In order for the tea ceremony to fully enjoy the taste of tea, which the Chinese philosophers spoke only in superlatives, emphasizing its superiority over wine, since it does not cause intoxication, and over water, due to its disinfection properties, it is necessary to observe all of it, accumulated over centuries, nuances that have long been turned into axioms. One of the main ones is the presence of “cha baths”. Exactly, tea desk , the name of this invariable attribute of a full-fledged tea ceremony sounds in Russian - that is the basis around which all the action of oriental tea drinking takes place.
Of course, the shepherd is organically supplemented by a teapot, and tea (a teapot and bowl with the important function of achieving a homogeneous beverage), and tea tools, which allows to achieve the necessary atmosphere of unity.
In their form, shepherds can be square, rectangular, and even round, and in size, designed for a secluded conversation between two people or a fairly crowded feast. Decorated with various patterns, inlays, made of expensive wood, bamboo, precious stone or ceramics, the tea board also performs a purely utilitarian function - it is convenient to drain excess water and tea through its slots during the preparation of this drink. And this, according to the Chinese, purifies our thoughts.
rudik-13