Yixing Ware Teapots

Yixing clay teapots are renowned world-wide for being the best vessels
for brewing tea. The unique clay from which they are made is extremely
porous and absorbs the delicate flavors of the tea, thus making each
brew more flavorful with every use.

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.

Multi-languages website for introduction of Yixing teapots,
http://study.china-teapot.com