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Yixing teapots, also known as Zisha (Purple Sand), first originated in China and is made from special clay produced in the hilly town of YiXing, located northwest of Shanghai in the province of Jiangsu. Is is one of the most sought after teapot style in the world, for both collectors and tea enthusiasts alike. Beside the teapot's beauty, it is also considered to be one of the finest tea brewing pots in the world.
The first YiXing teapot was created during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that a monk from Jinsha Temple (Golden Sand Temple) in YiXing handcrafted a teapot from local clay, but it did not flourish until Ming Dynasty (15th century). Over time, such teapots became regarded as fine sculpture pieces, and became prized collector’s items all over the world. Some of the elegant designs in those initial patterns are still preserved in those made today. What makes an Yixing teapot unique is that the inside is never glazed, highly prized for its porous nature which is excellent at absorbing the flavor of the tea brewed in it and, over a period of time, the pot is literally infused with the tea flavor.
The clay, because it is made up of iron, quartz, and mica, is naturally a purple color. The clay, called zisha, retains heat extremely well, absorbs the flavors of the tea brewed in it, making each brew better and more flavourful every time it is used.
Yixing teapot that is make from Zisha clay which is free of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other toxic materials, unlike clay. Because of the unique properties of the Yixing clays, Yixing ware is unlike other unglazed earthenware teapots. The Yixing teapot has a fine and solid texture, a four percent water absorption rate, a very low thermal conductivity, and a double air hole design which enhances the pot's brewing properties. Statistics in China shows the mineral deposits are very healthy for people who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol. It promotes longevity.
Preparing the Clay One type of Yixing clay, which is soft and yellow in its natural state, changes to cinnabar red during the firing process. There are also deposits of white clays and blue clays. The clay is originally mined in large rocks which are allowed to weather outdoors for approximately a year. After extraction, the clay is dried and then pounded into a powder. The powder is passed through a bamboo sieve to remove any stones or impurities. The powdered clay is then placed in a five-foot-deep rectangular tank pool filled with fresh water. Three days later it is removed to a similar pool and allowed to dry out in the sun. The clay is then cut into blocks which are placed in a vacuum processor to extract excessive moisture before being sold to potter artisans. The artisan further prepares the clay blocks by pounding them with a heavy wooden mallet, adding water from time to time in order to work the clay into the right consistency. This process usually takes about two days. The clay is ready when a knife cut through the clay shows its interior to be completely smooth and shiny, with no trace of air pockets. source: holymtn.com |
These fine teapots are small by western standards because they are generally designed for a single drinker and the Chinese historically drank the tea directly from the spout. It is somewhat different now by pouring the tea into a cup first. If you have not seen one before, you will be surprised by the size. They can certainly be used for pouring tea, as well as put on display for their artistic beauty. The size reflects the importance of serving small portions each time so that the flavors can be better concentrated, controlled and then repeated. Most tea drinking enthusiast will have one teapot for travel use, these tend to be less expensive and compact in design. Early pots were designed for travel use hence you will see the simple classic look of the pots produced during the Ming Dynasty. It was not until the mid-Qing Dynasty that tea conossieurs started to use the pot at home and the artisan begin to form them into different shape and sizes.
Ideally each Yixing teapot should be dedicated to one type of tea, most tea enthusiasts will admit to at least some cross brewing. If you do dedicate one pot for a single tea, there is a noticeable difference within only a few weeks.
Traditionally the pots were kept small so that each person could have their own. They would pour the tea from the spout into their mouths to drink it. It was not until it was exported to the West that poeple start to use teacup.
There are a few places in the UK that sell YiXing teapots from online to China Town. Some of them are not real YiXing ware as shown.
GreenTeapots.co.uk is one website I recommend to buy real YiXing teapots, they procure them directly from China and Jingtea.co.uk for Chinese tea.