During the Tang dynasty, the flourishing exchange between the East and the West led to an influx of precious gold and silver items from the West and other Asian regions into China. These gold and silver items were greatly favoured by Chinese people. As a result, starting from the Tang dynasty, the ceramic replication of these metallic treasures became a fashionable trend. An example is the transformation of traditional short vessel spouts into elongated and curved shapes, which enhances both the aesthetic and functionality.

Ancient people have always enjoyed drinking wine, and as early as the Tang dynasty, they also had a fondness for tea. During the Jin dynasty, a type of "rooster-headed pot" was designed for holding wine or tea. The pot had a lid and a handle, and the spout resembled the short, small head of a rooster. Since the phoenix was believed to be the manifestation of a rooster, ancient people revered the mythical powers of roosters and used their image as decoration and a blessing for food safety.

During the Tang dynasty, the design of the "Gu cang guan" was simplified. The lids typically only featured a three-dimensional small house as a handle. The body of the vessel did not have any reliefs of Buddha or Bodhisattvas. These ash-storing vessels were also known as "soul vase", and they became more elaborate again in the Song dynasty. The lids often featured three-dimensional birds in flight. The narrow, tall body of the vase was adorned with reliefs of dragons, tigers, and phoenixes, hence they were also called "dragon and tiger vase".

With the rise of Daoist philosophy, the concept of the "Five Elements" - metal, wood, water, fire, and earth - began to influence the design of pottery utensils and burial objects. An archaeological find from the tombs of Han dynasty is the "five-linked Jar." It is composed of five interconnected small jars, each equipped with a lid. The arrangement of these jars symbolises the belief that the five elements created all things, and that all things are encompassed within them.

Since the late Tang dynasty, there had been changes in the design of the jar “tuohu”. Originally, the mouth of the jar was relatively narrow. Recognising this limitation, potter enlarged the mouth similar as a large bowl but the capacity of the body remained the same. The design with a larger top and a smaller bottom was interesting and practical for disposing of food remnants. The spittoon of later period followed this structure, with an open mouth and enlarged body, but it was placed on the ground.

“Kiln” is a place where ceramics are fired. The original kiln took the form of a cave. When brick walls were added later on, it turned into a kiln chamber or kiln passage. The word “kiln” is usually added to the name of a region, which specializes in producing ceramics, to signify its distinctiveness. For instance, during the Tang dynasty, Changsha in Hunan province specialized in making short spouted flagons and tea pots. They were adorned with painted flowers, birds, poems, and figures. The name of “Changsha Kiln” was thus earned because of such innovation. The products of the Changsha Kiln are typically glazed in light green colour, with brown or green paintings added on top. The Changsha Kiln was therefore successful in breaking the limitation of monochrome on ceramics.

In the Song dynasty, a type of porcelain with a round body and five vertical tubes was created and named "five-tube vase". These five tubes were once thought to be used for holding flowers, but they actually represented the belief in the "five elements" of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The five-tube vase may have served as a type of soul vase, serving as a representation of human body which embodies the five elements will eventually turn into ashes and return to the earth.

Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han dynasty, and adherents accepted the practice of cremating the deceased. During the Three Kingdoms period to the Jin dynasty in the Jiangnan region, a type of large pottery jar was discovered in tombs. The lid of the jar was sculpted with buildings, scenery, and figures. Some jars were adorned with sculpted Buddhist images. These intricately sculpted vessels were called "Gu cang guan", literal meaning in Chinese seemed to be symbolising harvest, but they were actually used to store the ashes after cremation.

During the Han dynasty, there was a popular belief in achieving immortality and ascending to the heavens. Those seeking eternal life believed they could obtain elixirs from the immortals at the Kunlun Mountains in the west or at the three sacred mountains in the Eastern Sea. As a result, a censer representing the three scared mountains, known as "boshanlu," emerged among the daily life objects of the Han dynasty. The three sacred mountains refer to Penglai (nowadays Taiwan), Xianzhang (nowadays Okinawa), and Yingzhou (nowadays Japan). These incense burners, made of bronze or pottery, had a lid shaped like a mountain with multiple peaks and small holes in between for the fragrant smoke to escape when incense was burned. The body of the censer look like a stem bowl, but with a wide plate as the base that capable to hold water, symbolising the presence of immortals on the sea.

During the Han to Tang dynasties, a common type of pottery vessel was a small jar used for daily life. It had an open mouth, a long neck, and a rounded body, similar to a flower vase. The jar was known as “tuohu”, its actual function was that of a spittoon, commonly placed on tables. People would utilise to dispose of saliva, as well as food remnants such as bones and scraps.