Pouring the tea into a glass pitcher before serving it in cups is an important step in the Chinese tea ceremony because it allows for a liquid of uniform color and flavor. The glass pitcher is also known as gong dao bei (fairness cup). What is the Gong Dao Bei? The Gong Dao Bei is simply a pitcher for serving tea so that everyone receives an infusion of equal intensity (hence why it is called the fairness cup). If you were to serve directly from a teapot or a gaiwan, the first cup would have a weaker infusion than the last. The Gong Dao Bei allows you to filter the tea from the teapot or gaiwan into this pitcher to even out the infusion so that everyone can taste the same tea.