Until the 14th century, there was no such thing as a teapot; in China, tea was prepared and served in simple clay bowls. Tea was produced in small cakes made from salt and dried tea leaves pressed together; a piece of the cake was broken off and placed in the bowl, to which boiling water was added. After the solid tea separated from the liquid and sank, the tea was consumed from the same bowl, often for medicinal purposes rather than refreshment and distributed by healers.
The first teapots, accordingly, were also made of clay and date from the Ming Dynasty. The famous purple clay of YeXing (pronounced “ee-shing”) had already long been used to produce tools and utensils, and in the 16th century (during the Song Dynasty) it is said that a monk from the Jinsha temple fashioned the first teapot from this famous material. Even today the area is famous for its teapots; the first modern teapot factory in the region was built in 1958 in the town of Dingshu.
The unique zhisha clay in this region contains quarts, mica, kaolin (a white clay), and iron oxide; this latter element gives the clay its purple pigmentataion. Additionally, zhisha clay is quite porous even after being fired, which lets the teapots made from this material absorb and retain the flavors of the teas brewed in them. Thus after several times making the same tea in a YiXing pot, it is possible to get tea-flavored water from the pot without using any tea! For this reason, many people dedicate their YiXing pot to one particular variety of tea.
Traditionally, artisan zhisha teapots were handmade, but today some are partially factory-produced by pressing the clay into prefabricated molds and assembled. Even these, though, are finished and decorated by hand, often with elaborate decorations, etchings, or paintings.
Both clay and earthenware (porcelain) teapots from China are available in a variety of shapes and sizes ranging from tiny to large, and including unique forms in the shapes of birds, animals, and other objects. Many scores of companies distribute these well-known pots the world over to be sold in specialty tea stores and by other merchants. Stoneware and porcelain pots are also found in an assortment of price ranges from inexpensive factory-made pieces to fine, rare hand-crafted examples that can be quite dear.
YiXing pots, specifically, also come in an assortment of shapes including tall ones, short ones, and both spherical and square teapots. They also vary in volume from individual serving-sized pots to those that hold four, eight, or more cups of tea. Often such pots are sold with a matching set of zhisha clay teacups. The cost of YiXing tea sets depends on their size, shape, age, and quality, but one may find examples starting around $40-50 and, for particularly rare and antique specimens, upwards of thousands of dollars.
Add style to your tea time with a Yixing teapot, cast iron teapot, or kyusu.
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