How Yixing Teapots Came To Be

by Diana Rosen
Water is the mother of tea, teapot is its father,
and Yixing clay teapots are the finest of all.
~Ancient Chinese Saying

Yixing teapots have rightly earned the rank of “finest” because the innate characteristics of the clay make a stellar brewing vessel material and, made with attention to craft, provide artistry and style to the tea-drinking experience.

A LITTLE TEA and TEAWARE HISTORY

Tea went through many forms since an errant tea leaf first attracted Shen Nung as it perfumed the water in a hot caldron. Over time, tea leaves were roasted and formed into a paste then molded into a cake then boiled into a soup. That evolved into pounding the roasted and dried leaves into a powder. Yes, before Japanese matcha powder was whisked and sipped, the Chinese enjoyed powdered green tea so much so that competitions were staged amongst the elite to determine who was most skillful.

Tea sage Lu Yü describes the powdered drink in his 8th century book, “The Classic of Tea” as po, when the “fine, light flowery froth will gather and become as silvery and white as drifted snow.” He also mentions Yuehware first made in Yueh-chou, Chekiang Province during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) These porcelain clay cups were glazed with a pale celadon or olive color of the highest quality. For tribute tea drinking, the imperial family drank from mi-se cups made with a “secret color and white Hsingware produced in Hsing Chou was rated at an even higher level.

Lu Yü makes no mention of teapots, only ewers which were used to carry water from stream to pots or pans to boil over a wood fire. The water was then scooped up with a cup or bowl in one hand and poured into a second bowl that held the tea. The water would then be poured back and forth between the two bowls until reaching its signature froth.

Silk Road tradesmen understood that powdered tea or loose leaves could not withstand the weather, time, and arduous journeys on “camel ships” from Yunnan to Nepal and later, around the world. The solution proved ingenious: pack leaves into solid rounds, squares, and rectangular bricks. By the 14th century, the Ming Dynasty’s Hongwu Emperor, (Zhu Yuanzhang,) decreed these compressed tea cakes no longer acceptable and demanded fresh loose-leaf tea for his tea pleasure. That gave rise for better brewing vessels and, according to some tea historians, the first Yixing clay teapot appeared about 1500. Made from a unique purple-brown clay most abundant on the west side Lake Tai located between Zheijiang and Jiangsu provinces, Yixing clay had been used for centuries for many utensils before its evolution as a teapot.


Handmade Shuye zisha clay teapot (purple sand) styled in classic Pan Hu (wide pear shape) mimics bamboo. Standing 3.5” tall, its capacity of 230 ml is ideal for dedicated gong fu style brewing to one tea type.


WHAT MAKES YIXING CLAY UNIQUE?

Pearls and jade can be found everywhere but there is only one soil like that at Yixing.
~ Ancient Chinese Saying

Chinese potters took to Yixing clay enthusiastically because it took less time than making porcelain with other clays requiring time-consuming intricate glazes, hand-painting, and multiple firings. Both glazed porcelain and Yixing wares were part of most clipper ships’ cargo during the 17th and 18th centuries to England, France, and Germany influencing the beginning of European porcelain industries. Many Europeans called Yixingware “boccaro” a term some vendors use today.

Despite the potters’ enthusiasm, Yixing-area clay was difficult to obtain; it is sandy, found only between rocks or ordinary pottery soil hidden to all but the most experienced excavators. The Chinese describe it as “soil within the rock” or “soil within the soil.” The process of excavation begins with tunneling, then piling in the open air subjecting the clay to wind and rain for months until it turns into small soybean-sized grains. These granules are then dried and crushed to a powder by a stone mill, sifted, then mixed with water to form a dense clay. Finally, it is shaded until “stale” or malleable enough to shape.

Clay masters churn it in a specially-designed vacuum and pound it 30-50 times with a heavy wooden mallet into slabs. Yixing teapots are made by hand beginning-to-end by only one artisan, male or female. He/she first shapes thick slabs into the bodies, then paddles the slabs into thinner pieces for spouts, handles, lids, and knobs. Any decorations used around the pot are hand or press molded from slabs re-paddled to be more refined. Finally, they impress their exclusive chop mark on the bottom.

Yixing clay contains kaolin, quartz, mica, and a high iron oxide content which contributes the purple-red color and firing gives it a fine texture and soft shiny patina. The Chinese refer to all variables of Yixing-style clay whether found in the original area or in nearby regions as zisha or purple sand. Many English-speaking ceramists differentiate between colors using zisha for purplish-rose brown; banshanlu for buff/creamy white or light green, and zhusha for cinnabar or deep orange-red. To the veteran Chinese ceramist, no matter which dialect they speak, these clays are called zisha.

Potters may add minerals like cobalt oxide and manganese dioxide to change the clay into black, blue-green, deep green or a light yellow-beige. Color changes may also occur with varying kiln temperatures, where the items are in the kiln, and firing times. The process takes 3 days and 4 nights of pine wood burning in the kilns at 2200ºF. which creates the small pores and density that retain the heat so well in the final Yixingware.

The variety of designs are timeless; many dating from six centuries ago look contemporary for their clean geometric shapes or sophisticated forms from nature like flowers or animals. Although some modern designs are abstract, the best reveal the craft honed over the years.

When purchasing Yixing teapots, pay particular attention to the lid; it should have a tolerance of less than 0.5mm, a tightness that reduces air entering the pot and contaminating the tea’s flavor. High-quality, authentic Yixing teapots are an investment that bring decades of tea-drinking pleasure. Many of these works of art become family heirlooms or museum-worthy items to exhibit. To preserve their value, each unglazed Yixing teapot should be used to brew only one type of tea. If the pot is used for different teas, flavor and aroma will be unpleasantly compromised. Rinse the pot out after each use and let it air dry thoroughly.


Handmade Hua teapot is 3.5” tall, with a 220 ml capacity. The dragon egg-shaped pot is made from duan ni yixing clay, known for its gold tone after firing. With its short spout and elegant body etched with a lotus flower motif it is ideal for brewing pu-erh.