About Yixing Ware Teapots

Yixing ware teapots have a history that dates back to the Sung Dynasty (9960-1279) when purple clay was first mined around Lake Taihu in China. Their unpretentious earthly tones and subtle beauty flourished and matured in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1573 –1911) Along with the earliest tea shipments to Europe came distinctive red earthenware teapots, initiating a tea drinking tradition that continues today. A Traditional favorite of local scholars and artists, the pots are made from the signature clay of Yixing, an area situated 120 miles northwest of Shanghai in Jiangsu province.

Now as then, each piece is shaped by hand on a potter’s wheel and left unglazed, both because it makes better tea and because doing so allows the color of the clay to shine through. Highly prized for its porous nature, which is excellent at absorbing the flavor of tea, Yixing clay occurs naturally in the characteristic colors: light buff, cinnabar red and purplish brown. Other colors are created by mixing these three or adding mineral pigments. A principal factor in determining the depth of the color is the concentration of iron in the clay.

Traditionally, Yixing pots were small so that each person might have their own. The cups are proportionate to the pots, so that drinking 100 miniature cups a day might not be considered excessive.

One of the special attributes of Yixing teapots is the ability to retain  heat. Small pores produced in the clay during firing retain both heat and flavor, and the low shrinkage rate of Yixing clay allows the skillful potter to make a closely-fitting lid that inhibits oxidation thus heightening the tea’s flavor.

The Yixing teapot is free of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other toxic materials. 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. The principal standards for evaluating a teapot’s brewing quality are the color of the tea soup produced and the level of tea phenol, caffeine, and aminophylline. The performance of the Yixing teapot is far superior to that of the standard teapot with respect to all four of these criteria. Not only are the Yixing teapots beautiful and unique works of art, but also, they are excellent brewing vessels.

As early as 16th century the artisans marked their pots with clearly inscribed characters or, later, stamped them with seals bearing their names. This tradition continues today and serves as a reminder of every teapot’s high quality and craftsmanship. The artisans making Yixing teapots serve a long apprenticeship under established masters, receiving rigorous training in all aspects of their craft. Many of today’s Yixing teapots reflect contemporary themes; modern artisans produce not only replicas of old pots, but continually create new and innovative designs. 

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