Yixing clay teapot

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Yixing ware with a "Man Sheng" mark, c. 1900 (Shanghai Museum)
A Yixing Zisha teapot

Yixing clay teapots (

brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced near Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu
.

History

Archaeological excavations reveal that as early as the Song dynasty (10th century) potters near Yixing were using local "zisha" (紫砂 or 紫泥 ; literally, "purple sand/clay") to make utensils that may have functioned as teapots. According to the Ming dynasty author Zhou Gaoqi, during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor, a monk from Jinsha Temple (Golden Sand Temple) in Yixing handcrafted a fine quality teapot from local clay. Such teapots soon became popular with the scholarly class, and the fame of Yixing teapots began to spread.

20th century

Yíxīng teapots are actually made in nearby

flower vases, figurines, glazed tiles, tables, ornamental rocks, and even ornamental waste bins are all manufactured in the community.[citation needed
]

Use with tea

Five Yixing clay teapots, in styles from formal to whimsical.

Yixing teapots are intended for

puer, black, and oolong teas.[4] They can also be used for green or white
teas; however, the heat retention characteristics of Yixing makes the brewing process extremely difficult; and in such cases, the water must be heated to no greater than 85 °C (185 °F), before pouring into the teapot. A famous characteristic of Yixing teapots is their ability to absorb trace amounts of brewed tea flavors and minerals into the teapot with each brewing. Over time, these accumulate to give each Yixing teapot its own unique interior coating that flavors and colors future brewings. It is for this reason that soap is not recommended for cleaning Yixing teapots, but instead, fresh distilled water and air drying. Many tea connoisseurs will steep only one type of tea in a particular Yixing teapot, so that future brewings of the same type of tea will be optimally enhanced. In contrast, brewing many different types of tea in a Yixing pot is likely to create a coating of mishmashed flavors that muddy the taste of future brewings.

Some Yixing teapots are smaller than their western counterparts as the tea is often brewed using the

gongfu
style of brewing: shorter steeping durations with smaller amounts of water and smaller teacups (compared to western-style brewing). Traditionally, the tea from the teapot is poured into either a small pitcher, from which it is then poured into a teacup that holds approximately 30 ml or less of liquid, allowing the tea to be quickly and repeatedly ingested before it becomes cooled, or into several teacups for guests.

Price

Prices can vary from a couple dozen to thousands of

slipcasting
.

Clay varieties

The type of clay used has a great impact on the characteristics of the teapot. There are three major colour types of Zisha clays: Purple, Red, and Beige.[7] Duan ni is a symbiosis of various clays and will normally turn into beige colour after firing. A subtype of the purple variety, called Tianqing clay, has historically been the most sought-after due to its rarity. It was said that Tianqing clay was exhausted, but it is suggested that it is not the case.[7] Tianqing clay was scarce only in the Ming dynasty as the excavation skills and technologies were limited. It was difficult for potters to excavate purple clay as the clay were normally located 30 meters below the surface. With the technology advancement, the excavation of purple clay has flourished, so has Tianqing clay.

Tianqing clay is distinguished from the generic purple type by:

  • Its dark liver color after firing.[8]
  • Its markedly sandier texture.
  • Its higher permeability, leading to greater formation of a distinctive semitransparent patina.
  • It can turn greenish after a period of usage and has a jade-like appearance[9] this change is distinguished from green coloration which is present from firing.

The teapot 風卷葵壺 made by Yang FengNian in the Qing dynasty was made from Tianqing clay. The teapot is now owned by the Yixing Ceramic Museum.

Some examples of Zisha teapots made with purple clay

Picture Name Main colors Feel and look very sandy, extreme permeability Shiny or metallic Odd coloration
Yixing teapot with Shao Hengyu mark Blue or dark grey, or greenish (after usage or soaked in water for a week) Yes Yes No
Yixing teapot with Yang Pengnian mark Dark liver Yes Yes No
Yixing teapot with Shi Jichang mark Green, with multiple purple areas Yes Yes Yes
Yixing teapot with Qingquan Meiyu mark Dark liver, green for thin areas (after soaked in water for a week) Not obviously Yes for green areas Dark liver color and green color at the same time
Yixing teapot with Chen Mingyuan mark Dark liver, plus Blue or Dark Grey, and Green particles Yes Yes Dark liver, blue or dark grey, and green particles at the same time

References

  1. ^ "A Consumer's Guide to Buying a Yixing Zisha Teapot". teajourney. 31 August 2016.
  2. ^ Introducing Dīngshān from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  3. ^ Introducing Lake Tai from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  4. ^ "How to Season Yixing Teapots". ProfessionalTeaTaster.com. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Antique Yixing Teapots". MingWrecks.com. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  6. Sina Corp
    . 9 June 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-7-116-11990-1
    .
  8. ^ 阳羡茗壶系 by 周高起, Ming dynasty.
  9. ^ 刘玉林，戴银法 《阳羡茗砂土》，四川美术出版社, 2013:84-88

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yixing ware.

External links
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