Yixing Teapots Workshop - March 10, 2008


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Yixing Teapots - March 2008 Workshop-

Zhengzhong Ceramic Arts Website



Today SPG was given a glimpse into the world of Yixing pottery.
Hui Wang and Zhenzhong Zhang were on the east coast this week and stopped by for the day to give us a wonderful demonstration of their technique.

As we sat in silence, we saw why Yixing teapots and their makers are so sought after.
Zhang's precision was utterly amazing, he worked the clay with movements that looked almost effortless in one moment, and an arduous undertaking in the next.
Each pass over the surface a necessary step in the overall process of producing not just a teapot, but what instead seemed to be a set of small perfect sculptures, placed together to create another sculpture altogether.
With time and patience, Zhang graced us with a beautiful creation which was in my opinion, an unparalleled example of contemporary traditional pottery.

Thank you to Lin and Mizue for arranging transportation!
And to everyone that sent me photos of the day! This was definately a once in a lifetime experience.
~Barbarah~


Yixing teapots and their makers

Yixing is among the most well-known ceramic-producing sites in China, known throughout the world for its purple sand clay.
For more than a thousand years the fine stoneware from that region has been used to create small hand-built teapots that are prized for their artistry, ability to retain heat and porous nature.
Teapots made from this signature clay are valued for their ability to absorb the flavors of the tea, becoming more seasoned with each use.

Wang, a professor of art at the Fine Art College of Tsinghua University in Beijing, received his early training in Yixing techniques from his mother, a master Yixing potter.
His work combines his traditional training and his modern education from the Central Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in ceramic art and design.
His teapots, collected widely in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, have been featured in numerous newspapers, magazines and journal articles.

Zhang's work is both traditional and contemporary.
A graduate of Jiangsu University, his purple clay teapots can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Hong Kong Museum of Teaware and in numerous private collections in China and around the world.



Referrance Material -
Online Book - Yixing Pottery - The World of Chinese Tea Culture
Yixing Clay Teapots - wiki info
Historical Yixing Pottery Marks



Notes about Purple Sand Clay--
The making of zisha tea ware begins within the mountains of Yixing where 350 million year old mineral deposits rest. These minerals have formed a material the Chinese call “purple sand clay” or “zisha”. Once the unprocessed zisha, which resembles a piece of rock with a flaky outer surface, is mined and extracted the clay must be selected and worked by hand. Separated by color, the pieces are laid out and allowed to be weathered naturally by the sun, the wind, and the rain until the clay reaches approximately the size of a soybean. Higher quality clay is weathered for several years before being processed, but due to increased popularity and the faster pace of modern times this action is often sped up by machines that crush the clay into finer pieces. Once weathered, the clay is ground into a fine powder and magnets are held over the material in order to extract excess iron content. This will help create a finer, smoother end product. Finally, it is sifted many times and tempered by water creating the mature clay that will eventually be molded into various pieces of pottery.

There are three kinds of zisha clay:
purple clay, red clay, and green clay. Each material can be made into pottery on its own or mixed with the other two kinds of clay. In 1916, potters began to add oxidized metal to the fine clay powder in order to achieve a variety of colors like, dark purple, pear brown, copper, or dark green. However, the most cherished pots are still the natural untouched zisha clay. Purple clay is the most common type of Yi Xing tea ware and usually resembled a dark brown once fired. Green clay is only found in small quantities and therefore it is rare to see an entire pot made of this material. It is usually used for accents and decoration and resembles the color of a dark egg shell once fired. Red, or Zhuni pots, are not as common as the purple clay, but can still be found in larger amounts then the green clay. This material is located deep within the mountain layers towards the bottom of the mineral deposits making it more difficult to find and therefore more sought after.



The Tools << CLICK HERE >>


The Process