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| YIXING Teapots |
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| For centuries, the Yixing (say:
E-Shing) teapot has enjoyed the reputation among Chinese tea drinkers as
being, in the words of one writer, “a superior vessel for tea
drinking.” In fact, scientific studies have been conducted in an effort
to pinpoint those objective characteristics that have won Yixing ware such
praise. But what of the history behind these teapots?
THE SHORT STORY OF YIXING... The Yixing teapot was the first pot designed specifically for brewing tea. Prior to about 1500 CE, the Chinese preferred a powdered tea mixture whisked in a tea bowl. These first Yixing teapots (also spelled Ixing, I-hsing or Yi-Hsing) originated in the Jiangsu (or Kiangsi) province about 100 miles west of Shanghai. Initially, the Chinese Imperial Court preferred the more ornate, glazed tea vessels. Yixing became instead the favorite of the “literati” or class of Chinese intellectuals for their simplicity and naturalism in both material and form. European artisans also imitated the earthenware Yixing pots, inspiring such well-known British ceramic enterprises known today as Wedgwood. History tells us, however, that the British were not terribly successful in their attempts to copy Yixing, and continued to import much of their ceramic tea ware from China. WHAT IS YIXING TEA WARE? Yixing ware is made of unglazed clay. Because clay is a porous material, the ceramic absorbs a very small amount of tea with each brewing. After prolonged use, the Yixing pot will develop a certain patina that retains some of the taste, scent and color of tea and that also lends the teapot itself an unusually attractive luminescent quality. It is for this reason one should never wash an Yixing teapot. After use, it should simply be rinsed out with fresh water. |
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