Yixing teapot. How is its price and value formed?

Firstly, it is worth noting that the cost of a Yixing teapot depends not only on the quality of the material and the firing process, but also on the work of the master. In China, there is a hierarchy of masters, and the higher the status of the master, the more expensive his work. However, this does not always mean that the teapot will be of better quality. Sometimes expensive teapots turn out to be of worse quality than more affordable options.

Secondly, the price of Yixing teapots can be inflated due to the marketing strategies and PR of the master. Some masters use their name to increase the price of their works, although the quality of these works may be below average.

What determines the price of a Yixing teapot?

I would like to start with what the cost of a Yixing teapot includes. The cost of a teapot, if we are talking about just a piece of roasted clay, is actually not very high, even if we take the most expensive Yixing clay, which is currently Da Hong Pao clay. The next component of the price is the cost of firing a teapot made from this clay. Firing is also a fairly cheap process. If we are talking about a gas oven, then this is 10 yuan or 120 rubles per product. If we are talking about an electric oven, it will be a little more expensive. In a dragon oven it is even a little more expensive, but in general, firing as well as the cost of clay do not make up a significant part of the price of a teapot. The main component of the cost of a teapot is the work of the master. And not even so much the work, but how much the master himself values this work.

Almost the same teapot, of the same quality and made of the same material can cost 300 yuan, 1000 yuan or even 15000 yuan in China. Why is that? If we put aside the antique component, that is, an old teapot made by a master who has long since passed away, and talk only about teapots made by modern masters, then it is worth first of all talking about the hierarchy that exists among teapot manufacturers.

The Modern Hierarchy of Chinese Craftsmen

1. Great Master of Applied Arts of China (Chinese: 中国工艺美术大师, pinyin: zhōngguó gōngyì měishù dàshī).
2. Great Master of Chinese Ceramic Art (Chinese: 中国陶瓷艺术大师, pinyin: zhōngguó táocí yìshù dàshī).
3. Grand Master of Jiangsu in Applied Arts (Chinese: 江苏省工艺美术大师, pinyin jiāngsūshěng gōngyì měishù dàshī).
4. Celebrity of Jiangsu arts and crafts (Chinese: 江苏省工艺美术名人, pinyin jiāngsūshěng gōngyì měishù míngrén).
5. Senior Master of Applied Arts (Chinese: 高级工艺美术师, Pinyin gāojí gōngyì měishùshī).
6. Master of Applied Arts (Chinese: 工艺美术师, Pinyin gōngyì měishùshī).
7. Assistant to the master of applied arts (Chinese: 助理工艺美术师, pinyin zhùlǐ gōngyì měishùshī).
8. Technologist (Chinese 技师, pinyin jìshī).
9. Ceramic artist (Chinese: 陶艺艺人, pinyin: táoyì yìrén).

The higher the status of the person who made the teapot, the higher the cost of the teapot itself. The lowest class and most often ceramic artists work in factories and produce uniform standard products.

All these regalia are awarded, of course, not just like that, but on merit. But both in China and in the rest of the world, merit can be not only in the area of high-quality production of a product, but also through marketing, PR of this master, his entry into certain unions, which will further promote this master, and he will rise higher and higher.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the price of a teapot will not always correspond to its value. When we went to Yixing, we visited a huge number of craftsmen, tried many teapots. It happened that a teapot for 300-500 yuan was made quite well, while a teapot for one and a half thousand yuan or five thousand yuan was made much worse. The lid is poorly ground, loose, the water lock does not hold well. And at that moment we wondered, how is this possible, why is this so?

But as we studied this issue, we began to understand that we simply went to a master who is higher in this hierarchy than the one who sells cheaper teapots. Here we can draw an analogy with fine art in Russia. Sometimes famous artists, to put it bluntly, do hackwork, paint pictures purely for sale and set high prices for them. So in China there are Yixing masters who have already made a name for themselves and then simply stamp out identical teapots, are quite negligent in their work, make a not very high-quality product, but due to the established name, it is still sold in China. At first, the master works for the name, and then the name begins to work for him.

In view of this, is it worth chasing the notorious master teapots at all? In our opinion, no, it is not worth it. And we, for our part, still try to choose those teapots that are related in price and quality. That is, yes, they are made by hand, yes, they are made by a master, yes, he is not very high in the hierarchy, but the teapot is made very well.

For example, I have a teapot from the master Gau Wen Yi. I like it very much. The lid is well-ground. The water seal holds well. Everything is great. But, at the same time, it does not cost a lot of money. Therefore, if you want to buy a teapot so that it pleases you, enjoy tea drinking with it, then it is not necessary to chase after very expensive teapots, because a Yixing teapot for 10 thousand rubles and a teapot for 50 thousand rubles, in principle, will brew the same, due to the fact that they are made from the same clay.

But if you want to buy yourself some work of art, for example, some people buy paintings not to hang them in the interior, but for their personal collection, then yes, it makes sense to consider the works of famous masters. You can especially look at the age of the master, how quickly he rises up the hierarchy, because if you buy an inexpensive teapot of a little-known master, but at the same time he quickly rises up this ladder, then after some time the teapot will cost much more. And yes, you will tell: such and such a master, he is very popular in China, he reached such and such heights and here I have a teapot from this master.

But if you don't want to boast about the master's name, but just drink delicious tea, then there is no point in buying very, very expensive teapots. Look at what you like, look at how it is made, what is the pattern on it, what shape. Choose not by price, not by the master's name, but by the content of the product itself. In the modern world, there is still a product component, and there is a marketing component of cost.

Often, a product that actually costs pennies will cost fabulous sums of money due to an inflated name and inflated marketing. How should we feel about this? This is, of course, the choice of each individual person. Some will say that this is normal. I am still a supporter of some kind of balance between price and value. I don’t really want the price to deviate too far from the value of the product. But the choice is yours in any case.

So what to do if you want to buy a Yixing teapot? It is best to choose a teapot that suits your needs and preferences, and not just its price. Pay attention to the quality of the materials, the shape and design of the teapot, as well as its functionality. Do not forget that a good teapot should be easy to use and give pleasure from the process of brewing tea. The cost of a Yixing teapot does not always correspond to its real value. It is important to choose a teapot that suits you, and not just focus on its price and the name of the master.