Growth Of Purple Clay Teapots: Quaint Start To Fit For A King
Today, tea lovers worldwide are proud of their tasteful purple clay teapots. They understand that a purple clay teapot both has functional uses and is an elaborate art form. Purple clay teapots are exclusively made in Yixing, a tiny town in southern China’s Jiangsu province. Potters today incorporate many traditional forms of Chinese art. But many people don’t know the history of these pots, so this article will show you some milestones in the evolution of purple clay.
It all begins
Ancient Chinese used to compress tea leaves into shapes like cakes and bricks. But loose-leaf tea became popular in the middle of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). This development was a huge shot in the arm for the tea industry, and some people even loved tea more than food. They hungered to make teapots of a higher quality so as to benefit more from the new form of tea.
Chinese legend says that an intelligent boy named Gong Chun happened to come across some locals who were crafting jugs out of an uncommon material – purple clay. Suddenly a good idea came upon him: How about making a teapot with this clay? So he collected some of the clay, took it home, and made a small purple clay teapot by hand.
The pot looked quaint and lovely. But even more important was that tea brewed in it was more fragrant, flavorful, and stayed fresh much longer. Local people named such pots after the boy, and others began to mimic his pot.[I:http://www.hotmake.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/JasonJia1.jpg]
Fast Fact: An imitation Gong Chun Pot was sold for $25,000 US dollars just a few years ago. It was crafted by contemporary artist Gu Jingzhou.
Achievements made by potters of the last two dynasties
In the Ming dynasty, master potters sought to make graceful teapots with their own designs. For instance, some of them created new styles based on bronze vessels, which were ornate and reflected the solemn attitudes of the falling dynasty.
Some craftsmen started to copy lively objects with their purple clay teapots at the beginning of the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912). The images included nuts, fruits, wild creatures, and things like this. In addition, some master potters would stamp their seal on the lid of their works. They would also sign their name on the base, so people could easily identify the masterpieces and their creators. This practice is still very common today.
Some generations later, the bamboo knife was brought into use. It allowed artisans to carve graceful Chinese characters and elegant landscapes on their creations. Thus, more traditional arts were involved into purple clay teapots, such as calligraphy, Chinese painting, and ancient poetry. Some teapots have entire verses or songs written on them.
The purple clay teapots of our time
From the fall of the Qing dynasty to new China’s opening-up to the world in the mid-to-late 20th century, purple clay teapots went through a recession. Political and social problems in this time made crafting purple clay teapots a rare luxury. But after this time, purple clay teapot workmanship was revived, and more and more skillful potters came forward. They dedicated themselves to both tradition and originality. [I:http://www.hotmake.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/JasonJia3.jpg]
Nowadays real purple clay teapots are more precious than ever before. After hundreds of years of unrestricted mining, the Chinese government’s Purple Clay Protection Regulations came into effect on April 1, 2007. Now only a limited amount of this resource can be used each year.