Teaware made from Yixing clay

Yixing teapots are made quite modestly, with a specific touch of antiquity, as a rule, in one color, although if you mix clays of different colors, after firing you can get a multi-colored teapot.
As the teapot is used for making tea over a long period of time and is cared for, it absorbs the tea "juices" and a kind of oily sheen appears on its surface, which gives it an even more lively appearance. It is then that the spirit originally embedded in it, undiscovered, begins to reveal itself, giving it special value.

In addition to the joy of brewing tea, they give aesthetic pleasure from contemplating the master's excellent work. The value of a teapot is determined by its shape, color, master's seal and the quality of the clay used. The assessment of the shape of a teapot is based on subjective sensations, and all disputes about variants and forms come down to the concept of "harmony in everything". The variety of colors and shades of finished teapots amazes the imagination. Clay from different layers of occurrence, temperature and duration of firing all affect the color of the teapot. Looking closely at the seal and inscriptions, we get an idea of the master, the school to which he belongs.

What is Yixing clay?

There is a legend. In ancient times, there lived a wandering monk. Once, passing through a village in the Yixing region, he kept shouting: "Selling expensive happy soil!" The locals were very interested in such a strange product, but still watched from afar, not daring to find out what was being discussed. The monk, noticing such indecision, began to shout even louder: "If you don't want to buy an expensive one, then hurry up and buy a happy one!" After which he led the interested villagers to the caves of the Qinglong and Huanglong mountains, located nearby. Arriving at the place, everyone present saw clay of five colors: red, yellow, green, turquoise and purple. This is how, according to legend, Yixing clay was discovered.

In Yixing itself, clay is divided into three types as follows: white clay, first-class clay and soft clay. White clay is a separate, mainly gray-white silt and bauxite clay.
First-class clay is, as a rule, mainly purple-colored bauxite multicolored clays (often also called slate), which have not undergone the process of weathering (efflorescence). They are also called "stone bone". It is both a hard and brittle material. And finally, soft clay is clay, as a rule, dirty yellow and gray-white in color, having many shades, soft, delicate and thin in its structure. Regardless of whether it is first-class clay or delicate, they all contain a large amount of metal oxides. With a high content - more than 8%, with a low content - about 2%. It is because of the different metal content that clay after certain processing and different types of firing acquires a variety of shades of black, brown, purple, yellow, green and other colors.
Actually, purple clay is a layer in layers of first-class clay, the thickness of which, as a rule, is from 90 cm to 1 meter. The main components of the rock are mica, as well as various kaolins, quartz, metals. It is the special combination of components that gives it such desirable properties in the manufacture of teapots, such as plasticity, high strength of raw material, low shrinkage coefficient.

What should you pay attention to when buying Yixing clay teapots?

The spout and lid opening should be in line, except for teapots with special designs.
The appearance should be harmonious and complete. The lid should be well ground and have a small hole on it.
You can judge the quality of the clay by the sound: lightly tap the body of the teapot; the sound should be thin, metallic, and not dull.
And finally, take the teapot in your hand - the curve of the handle should not create unpleasant sensations for your hand. The art of decorating teapots has absorbed poetry and calligraphy, as well as traditional fine art. Therefore, admiring the teapot, you discover a whole layer of Chinese culture that appears before you at the moment of contemplation. To be able to discern it is the task that you have to solve.