Yixing Purple Pottery

As some of you know; I work with pottery as a hobby. So while in China one of the things I really wanted to do, was visit some of the famous pottery making places. As luck would have it I live just up the road from Yixing, home of the purple pottery teapots. Also as luck would have it; a student here whose English is very good lives by Yixing. So she and another students whose English is improving but whose mother used to make teapots, acted as my translator and guide.

So Wednesday I took a bus trip China to Yixing. This in itself was a story, a friend bought the ticket for me and of course since it was in Chinese, he told me which number was the gate number and which number was the seat number. But I forgot. Luckily I asked someone at, the what I thought was the right gate and she indicated that the other number was the gate number. So I went over the correct gate and then had to figure out when they were calling for my bus to load. Again I asked for help from another stranger and after nervously thinking I heard the name Yixing for two other bus, she motioned for me to get into line.

Once I got on the bus my confusion wasn't over. There was a man sitting in the seat next to mine and he didn't seem to want to move to let me get to my seat. Then an older man across the isle started talking to the man and the man started yelling at the older man. All the while people were squeezing and bumping past me to get to their seats. Finally the stubborn man got up and found another seat, I sat down and someone totally different sat down. I have no idea what had just happened, but the bus ride was enjoyable from then on.

Yixing is actually a nice, small city. The air is clean, there seems to be a lot of greenery and the pace is relaxed (except of one of the local bus drivers). My translator and guide were Li Qing and Chen Shi Tao. They are students at the old campus of JIETT where I teach. Chen Shi Tao's mother used to make tea pots and acted as our guide. Li Qing's pronunciation is very clear and her voice is very pleasant, so she is a good translator. Both students are very enthusiastic and enjoyable to be around.

The pottery making is not done in Yixing though, it is in a smaller town withing Yixing's jurisdiction; called Dingshu. The first place we went to was the pottery museum. Unfortunately we got there just after the craftsman who makes teapots at the museum went to lunch. But the people there showed us what he was working on and I was impressed with the quality. Chen Shi Tao said his mother would make one teapot a day, so a lot of craftsmanship go into these teapots.

We also saw some of the raw material including a chunk of clay just out of the ground and several bags of clay. Each bag which looked like it was around 10kg (20lbs) and cost 3000RMB ($430). Expensive stuff. I can't actually tell you exactly how the teapots are made since I didn't get a chance to see one made. But I do know that the pots are hand built rather than thrown on a spinning wheel like we do in the west. From my experience hand building takes longer than throwing", but there is less clay wasted in the process. Which is good at 3000RMB per bag (about $425).

Yixing clay is a deep brown that under certain light can look purple. The feel of the clay was very smooth when I briefly touched it. I have a feeling would be great to work with. It seems very plastic and suitable for shaping. A more detailed description can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yixing_clay

The teapots themselves are small and only hold enough for one or two people at the most. They are unglazed and porous. This allows the teapot to take on the aroma of the tea used in it and usually people will only use one variety of tea in an individual pot. The teapots range in both quality and design with the most expensive teapots probably going for 1000's of RMB. The price also depends on who made it. There are some artist who have made a name for themselves and can ask for higher prices.

When I went looking for a teapot to buy; the first one I picked up that I really like was $800 and it just felt great in my hand. But I settled for a less expensive teapot. Chen Shi Tao helped me bargin (actually he bargained, I just smiled).

Yixing is an interesting place and I did not get to see or do all that I wanted to there. So I shall return.