Yixing ware has been produced for centuries in Yixing, a city located to the west of Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province. Since the 16th century, the Purple Clay Teapot has been made in Yixing, distinguished by its unique purple clay raw material. The county of Yixing is endowed with rich clay deposits, and these natural resources, combined with historical opportunity, allowed the pottery-making business to flourish around the small towns of Dingshan and Shushan.
Unlike teapots thrown on a potter's wheel, all Yixing teapots are either completely hand-made or partially hand-made using molds. The raw hard clay is pounded with a mallet into a slab, and the body of the teapot is shaped by press-molding, paddling, or slab techniques according to the desired form. Completely hand-made teapots are often more highly valued, as they offer greater artistic variation and expressiveness in the teapot's posture.
Yixing teapots can be divided into five major styles.
Rounded Teapot
The rounded clay teapot is the most common and most widely produced style. It gives an impression of elegance and staidness, emphasizing the total balance of the teapot's posture. The teapot itself should appear mellow and plump, with an overall symmetrical design.
Square Teapot
The square teapot emphasizes the smoothness of the straight lines, while a subtle rounded layout should be hidden within the square, direct streaks. The lid must fit tightly with the body from any direction. As a result, making a square teapot is far more difficult than making a rounded one.
Ribbed and Segmented Teapot
The ribbed and segmented teapot is formed with curved surfaces, drawing inspiration from everyday objects such as clouds, rippling water patterns, and flower petals—where multiple curved surfaces gather into a harmonious whole. This style is even more challenging to craft, as it requires the upper part of the teapot to match the lower part of the body perfectly while maintaining an elegant and clear pattern.
Naturalistic Teapot
A naturalistic teapot mimics the forms of natural beings—for example, flowers, the texture of bamboo, or even a dragon. Inspired by nature, this style adds greater variation to the art of teapot making. It enables craftsmen to think outside the box of tradition, allowing them to be freer and bolder in their creations, and brings the artwork closer to daily life.
Teapot with a Girder Handle
The teapot with a girder handle is unique in its kind. The girder-style handle is placed above the teapot body and faces the same direction as the spout. In ancient China, people often brewed tea by placing a teapot directly above a stove, and the girder handle catered perfectly to this need.
The above explains the major styles of Yixing clay teapots, giving us some basic understanding of purple clay teapots. Next time, we will go into a detailed explanation of each style and showcase some unique traditional teapot designs.