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1. What does Yixing mean, and what are the origins and history of teapot-making in Yixing?
Pottery has been produced in Yixing, situated to the west of Taihu, the Great Lake in Jiangsu Province, since the Neolithic period. The hills to the southeast of the county are endowed with rich clay deposits, and the centre of pottery-making is located around the small towns of Dingshan and Shushan, now known collectively as Dingshuzhen.
The ‘Pottery Capital’ produces dragon jars of all sizes, vessels, roof tiles, porcelains, and most important of all, the Zisha or ‘purple sand’ teapots and objects for the scholar’s table. The term ‘Yixing ware’ generally refers to the latter — teapots and vessels of rustic elegance long sought after by tea drinkers and scholars of China.
Yixing teapots have been made since the 16th century, and there has been a steady stream of known potters since the Wanli period (1573–1619).
2. How are Yixing teapots made?
Yixing teapots are all hand-made rather than being thrown on the wheel. The hard clay is pounded with a heavy wooden mallet into a slab, and the bodies of the teapots can be made in three basic techniques: segmented teapots are press-moulded; round teapots are paddled, and square teapots are made by the slab method. Specialized tools of wood, bamboo, metal and horn, created through the centuries, are used during the process.
3. Are there different styles of teapot, and were different styles used for specific types of tea?
There are four main styles. The first style is geometric, such as the round lantern teapot shown below.
The three other styles are naturalistic, such as the blue lotus leaf-form teapot shown below left, and the works by Zhou Dingfang and Lu Wenxia (shown below right); ribbed or segmented; and miniature teapots (shuiping hu) for drinking gongfu tea.
4. What are the different types of clay used for making teapots?
The clay of Yixing is known collectively as zisha (purple sand), and there are three basic types: zisha, a purplish-brown clay; banshanlu, a buff-coloured clay, and zhusha, a cinnabar or deep orange-red clay.
By mixing these clays, adding mineral colours, and varying the firing temperature and amount of reduction in the kiln, potters can achieve a wide range of earth tones: from beige to light brown, cinnabar red to dark brown with a tinge of purple (hence the name ‘purple sand’), and dark green to black. The last two are early 20th-century innovations resulting from the addition of cobalt oxide and manganese dioxide.
Different coloured clays are used for all styles of teapots. However, the miniature teapots made for gongfu tea are usually of orange-red or cinnabar zhusha.
5. What is the significance of an artist’s seal on a teapot?
Unlike the porcelain vessels of Jingdezhen, which pass through many hands, a Yixing teapot is made from beginning to end by one potter, and is stamped with his or her name. When a teapot is a collaborative work, then more than one seal can be found.
6. What are the qualities new collectors should look for in a Yixing teapot?
There should be a good balance between the body and its spout and handle, and the surface should have a pleasing finish. If you intend to use it, test the teapot to make sure it does not leak, and that the water comes out in a stream. However, these teapots are made by master potters and although they may be used for tea, they are also collectors’ items.
7. How should these pieces be displayed and cared for?
Care for a Yixing teapot as though it were a piece of sculpture. When the teapot is put away, make sure there is a thin piece of soft tissue between the pot and the cover — the weakest area in a Yixing teapot is the rim of its cover.
