Cyber Museum

Over the span of 30 years, I have collected quite a number of Yixing teapots and other artifacts. As I know there are people in the world who share my passion for the Zisha wares, not because they are good for brewing tea, but because these Yixing teapots have a culture in their own right. From collecting the teapots, besides admiring their aesthetic forms, one can also study and appreciate art; the creative designs and artistic thinking that the potters possess in deriving at their masterpieces of artwork. Hence, I set up this museum in cyber place to showcase my teapot collection and share some of the rare and prize pieces of Yixing artifacts in my collection.

When I acquire teapots, I look for three types of teapots that interest me. First, the antique teapots of the past; second, the not-so-old teapots that were made in the 60s to 80s; and third, teapots made by known potters (especially craftsmasters and senior craftsmasters' work). In buying teapots, one has to be extra careful not to buy any fake ones or one that is artificially tampered to make it looked old.

I was fortunate in a way as I started collecting teapots in the late 1980s where the market was not yet saturated with fakes and imitates. Some of the craftsmasters had not yet become famous, mostly were still apprentices or trainees and their teapots were very affordable. I remembered during one teapot exhibition, the organisers brought in Gu Zingzhou's teapot which was selling at $20000. Everybody who went to the exhibition was amazed at such high price for a teapot to brew tea. But by today's standard, Gu's teapot can easily fetch millions of dollars. Other craftsmasters' pots were selling in the region of thousands of dollars. Being a beginner, I would only eye for pots that cost below a thousand dollar. Then there was the joy of treasure hunting in the open market where teapots made by known potters were selling at far below market rate. In those days, you won't be surprise to see someone using a magnifying glass to examine the potter's name engraved at the bottom of the teapot when he was scrutinising all the teapots on display in the shop. I did the same thing and was able to uncover some hidden gem. This is called 'treasure hunting' and the joy was beyond description when one finds  treasure among the trash.

With the people becoming more affluent, collecting zisha wares has become a popular international hobby/past-time (or investment), the market is full of fakes and imitates as unscrupulous businessmen capitalised on this craze and attempt to make quick money by introducing a lot of fakes in the market. Be careful if you are buying teapots for investment. Good and famous teapots won't come cheap by today's standard.

I have started a cyber museum where no entrance fees is collected. If you like to view my collection, please go to my cyber museum at alansmuseum.blogspot.sg. I will continue to post the teapots in my collection whenever I am free.

One of the postings in my cyber museum

Founding Father of Yixing Pottery

Do you know who is the founding father of Yixing wares? Who is the person that got the Yixing art of teapot making started?

It was recorded that broken pieces of pottery work were found in Yixing during ancient times. But only during the early Ming dynasty that the art of teapot making using the purple clay of Yixing was recorded in history. Prior to the first ever recorded piece of Yixing teapot (see 2nd picture), it was told a story that everyone in Yixing is probably very familiar.  Legend has it that many years ago in Ting Shu, a town in Yixing, one day a monk appeared from nowhere and uttered some words while running through the streets of the town. Villagers heard him shouting "fortune clay for sale, the poor is not buying, what about the rich?". Nobody understood what he meant and the villagers called him the mad monk. Some old villagers followed him as he ran towards a valley in a mountain and suddenly vanished in thin air. The villagers were then astonished to find the place full of clay of a variety colour, from red, yellow, green, brown to purple. The villagers then took some clay home and found that the clay was indeed very ideal for pottery work. After the potteries were hardened and fired, beautiful colour and texture would appear on the potteries.

Early pottery work of Yixing

The art of teapot making using Yixing clay was only recorded during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Zhend De, sometime around the 1400s. This happened in a temple called Jin Sha (literally means golden sand) where there was a monk who was very skillful in the art of teapot making. He was using the purple clay from Yixing to make teapots for his own use. It was recorded that a scholar went to stay in the temple, probably to study and prepare for the imperial exam. He brought along with him a servant named Gong Chun who would assist him in his studies. One day, Gong Chun, while hiding behind a tree, saw the monk making teapot using a type of clay. On many occasions, he would hide himself and secretly watch the monk making teapots. On one occasion, the monk left after shaping the teapot. Gong Chun went over and retrieved some remnants of clay left behind by the monk. He began to make teapot using his bare hand (as he had no tools). As he was beside a very old gingko tree, he modelled the teapot following the patterns on the bark of the tree. He used his fingers to press on the clay to achieve the irregular finishing of the patterns on the gingko tree. Later when the monk discovered that Gong Chun had the skills and ability to make teapot, he than took Gong Chun as his disciple and taught him  all his skills. Gong Chun's master was also amazed at his skills and instructed Gong Chun to make teapots for him and his fellow scholar friends. The master would then help Gong Chun to inscribe his name on the teapots. As tea drinking was a fashion among the rich and famous, Gong Chun became an instant success and his teapots were in great demand by all walks of life. Today Gong Chun's teapots were very rare and some of Gong's teapots discovered were actually imitates by his disciples. Gong Chun had three disciples who were also very skillful in the art of teapot making and their teapots were on display in many museums in China as well museums overseas.


Gong Chun by Grand Master Xu



Gong's teapot as discovered by Chu



In 1924, a man by the name of Chu, while roaming the antique (flea) market in Suchou, discovered a teapot (without cover) with the inscription of Gong Chun behind. As he heard something regarding Gong Chun, he quickly bought the teapot from the owner. The discovery of Gong Chun's teapot created a stir in the world of antiques. Immediately he approached a famous potter at that time and had the cover made to fit the teapot. It was recorded that the British Museum had made an offer of 20000 pounds to acquire the teapot but Chu refused to part with it. It was indeed an honour for any museum to have this teapot as the Gong Chun's teapot was  regarded as the world's first ever recorded piece made. Later a renowned artist, a friend of Chu, told him that the cover did not match the pattern of the teapot. So Chu then commissioned another famous potter to have the cover made to match the body of the teapot. Chu in his later years, donated the Gong Chun's teapot to China's national museum as he reckoned this piece of work is a national treasure. The Gong Chun's teapot has now become a classic shape that a lot of potters (young or experienced) will imitate and make it as a form of training.

Cowboy teapot

Wood Bundle

World's most expensive teapot

In 2011, a set of Yixing teapot with 5 cups and saucers was auctioned for a record 17.82 millions yuan in a Chinese auction house (read news in Chinese below). This is the world's most expensive teapot and cups. This record price for a teapot set was indeed a big surprise to many as only imperial ceramics and rare paintings could fetch such prices in auctions. The local press even reported that with over 17 million, one can buy a good bungalow in a big city, yet there were people who traded a bungalow for 11  pieces of pottery work. What made the news even more astonishing is that it came at a time where prices of Yixing wares were heading south with bad news of poison clay used in the industry, forgery and fake teapots, depletion of good clay and black market manipulation. The whole pottery industry looked set to collapse as local TV stations and press reported daily cases where chemicals were used to brighten up the fake clay used in the industry, forgery in the names of potters appeared on the pots and wide spread use of hired hand to fake masters' work. The reputation of Yixing wares was so badly tarnished that customers and investors stay clear of Yixing wares. However, the record-breaking news of this Yixing teapot with cups brought back life and glamour to the pottery industry in Yixing. People begin to realise that only good and genuine Yixing wares will stand the test of time and their values can only appreciate with time.


The world's most expensive teapot and cups

This is no ordinary teapot and the potter is no ordinary person either. In fact the potter is the first person in Yixing to be awarded the highest title in the trade, National Grand Master in Yixing pottery. He was the legendary Gu Zingzhou, the master of all masters. The shape of the teapot was conceptualised many years ago when a certain professor from a university met up with Gu in the Yixing factory. After many years of modification and alteration, the teapot design was finally firmed up to take the present form. This teapot set was actually kept as a display set in the factory. It was auctioned off as the factory was in need of hard cash for upgrading and renovation work. Since then there were no less than 9 pieces of Gu's works auctioned for over 10 millions yuan each. If you visit China these days, the tour guides often ask you if you ever possess a Gu's teapot. If you have a Gu's teapot, most likely it will worth millions in today's market. But don't be carried away, most of the teapots that bear Gu's name on them are not genuine, they are fakes. With such high value on his works, there will definitely be unscrupulous businessmen or potters who want to get rich fast by imitating  the master's work. So beware of fake Gu Zingzhou teapots, they will damage your finances. 



Gu Zingzhou and his monk's hat

Another similar pot auctioned for over 8 millions

Gu Zingzhou at work

Gu's pot for 8.28 millions

Gu's pot auctioned for 14.9 millions in 2013

Record-breaking news in Chinese

1782.5万元！这是紫砂壶拍卖的最新世界纪录，就在刚刚结束的北京保利2011秋季拍卖会上，由顾景舟提璧组壶(共计十一件)创造。顾景舟的提璧组壶(共11件)以1782.5万元的价格拔得“中国当代高端工艺品紫砂壶专场”的头筹。这组提璧组壶原为宜兴紫砂博物馆收藏。顾景舟通自己的制作将紫砂润如珠、温如玉的特征淋漓尽致地表现出来。

在今年的秋季拍卖会上，各艺术品拍卖公司纷纷推出紫砂壶拍卖专场。看似热闹的市场里面，也不是所有的紫砂壶都成交，总的来说，老紫砂壶无论是成交价格还是成交率都要强于当代紫砂壶。

顾景舟原名景洲，江苏宜兴川埠上袁村人，生前为中国工艺美术大师，紫砂界尊称为当代“壶艺泰斗”。(山日)

Forms of Yixing Pottery Pt 3

Purple clay wares of Yixing have a variety of forms where aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms to showcase their creativity and professionalism in the art of teapot making. The forms are basically derived from nature, geometric shapes, natural objects and bronze artifacts.

Forms closely modelled on natural objects refer to those pieces which are copied directly from plants such as melons, pumpkins, fruits and nuts, or from animated objects such as fish and insects. These forms are further embellished with incised or carved details to enhance the illusion of reality. The aim is to achieved absolute or near absolute likeness to the objects they copied. Such a degree of life-likeness is possible because the potter has at his disposal a wide range of colours of Yixing clay, the term purple clay connotes many shades of red, brown, reddish brown, yellow, green and blue. From these colours, the potter can choose one that approximates most closely to the real object he intends to copy. It is no wonder that many examples of this category of Yixing ware are a tour de force of naturalism.

Squirrel on wallnut

Frog on lotus

Fish turning to dragon

Bamboo shape

Squirrels and grapes

World first ever Yixing Pot

 

Forms of Yixing Pottery Pt 2

Purple clay wares of Yixing belong to unglazed ceramics where aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms, the design of which embody many aesthetic concepts. The forms are basically derived from nature, geometric shapes, natural objects and bronze artifacts.

Geometric forms refer to those vessels which are of basic geometric shapes, embellished with naturalistically modelled appendages (spout, handle, cover and knob) or ornamented with simple naturalistic or geometric motifs. This category of decorated ware retains its essentially geometric character when viewed from above or from the side.

There are many designs of teapots modelled on geometric shapes. Some characteristic shapes include square, round, triangular, globular, oblong, trapezium and hexagonal. Teapots of theses designs give people a sense of harmony and regularity, a sense of perfection where the outlines of the pot blend in perfect harmony.

The globular shaped teapot had won an award in international expo held in Panama in the past. The square teapots provide ample space for artists and poets to leave behind their works of art when their works are engraved on the teapots. Trapezium shaped teapot resembles an ancient bell while round shaped pot is especially pleasing to the eyes.

Nature endows decorated Yixing ware with an incomparably rich repertoire of forms. In addition, decorated ware has had in its service a steady procession of fine potters from the very beginning of its history, potters who not only raised technical standards but also made many outstanding stylistic contributions. Given such a splendid tradition, it would be possible for decorated ware to maintain its unique position in the general context of Yixing ware and to sustain its long standing trend of development and innovation.

Stamps commemorating Yixing Teapots



 

A 19th century square pot

A hexagonal shaped teapot

A round teapot that appeal to users

A globular shaped teapot

 

Trapezium shaped teapot

Another geometric form

A segmented shape

Round teapot with engravings

Forms in Yixing Pottery

Purple clay wares of Yixing belong to unglazed ceramics. Aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels, not by finely painted decorative designs and glaze colours found in traditional ceramics. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms, the design of which embody many aesthetic concepts.

In the long history of Yixing wares, the first piece recorded in texts is a teapot by Gong Chun, a servant who learnt the art of making teapots from a monk while accompanying his master when he resided in a temple. This happened during the Ming dynasty under the reign of Zheng De, around 1400s. Modelled entirely by hand, the teapot made by Gong Chun simulates the form of a bark of an old ginkgo tree, with the sprout and handle rendered as branches growing naturally from the body of the pot. The surface of the teapot is not smooth, but depressed here and there with the thumb to convey the rough texture of the bark. The effect is one of simplicity and refinement. The teapot is at once an allusion to the wonder of nature and an affirmation of the charm of a handmade object. Many praises have been heaped on this teapot by connoisseurs of the past.


Shapes created by Gong Chun

Gong Chun's pot

The first ever recorded teapot by Gong Chun is a classic form of teapot shape derived from nature. This is known as Hua Huo or decorated ware. Decorated ware can be classified into the following categories: 1) forms derived from nature, 2) forms derived from geometry, 3) forms closely modelled on natural objects, and 4) forms resembling bronze ware, jades and articles used in daily life.

Forms derived from nature refer to those which are inspired by things in the vegetable kingdom such as pine, fruits, bamboo, nuts, etc; and those in the animal kingdom such as birds, insects, fish etc. By observing these things of nature, the potter arrives at an apprehension of their existence in space and transforms his concept into the form of a vessel or object. The manner in which he executes this transformation results in ware of various degree of naturalism.

Shape derived from flower

Nature provides an inexhaustible source of motifs to the Yixing potters. To create the decorated ware, the potter extracts and distills the essence of a plant or anything from nature and, through his creativity, transforms it into a work of art. A successful piece is one that combines aesthetic appeal with practicability and functionality. No matter how attractive is the design, a teapot is meant for brewing tea, so practicability and functionality cannot be ignored. In concrete terms, the potter must pay attention to the teapot's overall effect and the relation of its parts such as the spout, the handle, the cover and the decorations, all of which must blend harmoniously into a unified whole. In this way, a good teapot not only appeal to the user, it can also serve as vessel for tea appreciation.

Shape inspired from dragon



Shape of domestic animal

Teapot with monkeys fooling around

Fruits and nuts of daily life
 

Craftsmasters of Yixing

In October 1958 Yixing Zisha Factory No. 1 was established by the government. Before that there was no proper ranking of the craftsmen working in Yixing. Potters would mine, mix and cure their own zisha clay to make zisha ware such as teapots, cups, vases and figurines. After the setting up of the Yixing Zisha Factory, the craftsmen in the factory were organized and ranked according to a set standard. New craftsmen were required to take courses and examinations to advance and be recognized. It takes about three years of training to advance through the following titles: carftsman, assistant carftmaster , craftmaster, senior carftmaster and finally national carftmaster. At every stage there was an examination. Initially the teapots were very creative and diverse in designs and the artists gained national and international recognition. But, this would change with the Cultural Revolution a movement which frowned on bourgeois luxuries such as artisan crafted teapots that costed far more than any common person could afford.

Starting in 1966, because of the Cultural Revolution, Factory No. 1 began to turn out plain utilitarian pot in a style known as shui ping hu in vast numbers. Instead of having the name of the master who made the pot on the bottom these pots have only characters that represent the location of manufacture: Yixing, China. During this time the walls of the factory were filled with slogans painted in red that insisted that art was for the people. The quality of these pots was much worse than before the revolution. Despite this many tea connoisseurs prize these pots for their simplicity and high quality clay.

With the end of the Cultural Revolution New Ranks for craftsmen were subsequently introduced in the 1970s, which consist of the following: 1) Technician 2) Craftsman 3) Craftsman – independent porters 4) Asst. Craftsmaster 5) Craftsmaster 6) Senior Craftsmaster 7) Provincial Grandmaster 8) National Grandmaster.

Today, teapots produced by the factory are diverse and highly creative; masters have resumed signing their work and their creations are in high demand. A Craftsmaster can keep customers waiting for up to two years for a commissioned pot.

Zhu Kexin's earlier work

Prof Pan Chunfang, 2nd generation craftsmaster

Prof Pan's teapot set

The seals used by Zhu Kexin

One of the founders and Deputy Director of Research and Technology at the factory Gu Jingzhou was also an accomplished master artist. Gu was the first master in Yixing to be awarded the National Grandmaster title. His teapots have sold for millions of dollars in auctions. Jiang Rong was another  Grandmaster at Factory No. 1, she created teapots that emulated nature. Ren Ganting (1889-1968) ambidextrous artist who created natural forms. He participated in the National Labor Heroes Convention. Pei Shimin (1892-1979) started making teapots at age 14. Zhu Kexin (1904-1986) began making teapots before the war. Together with Gu Jingzhou, they worked in the Jiangsu factory where they trained the second generation of teapot craftsmasters who in turn trained the 3rd and 4th genartions potters of Yixing.


Gu Jingzhou's teapot auctioned for 14.9 million Yuans

在刚刚结束的保利八周年春拍中国古董珍玩夜场上，由顾景舟制壶、吴湖帆画风动竹枝、赠予江寒汀的“寒汀石瓢壶”以1495万元的成交价创造顾景舟单把紫砂壶的世界纪录。

Gu's pot auctioned for 8.28 million yuans
2013嘉德春拍，顾景舟、韩美林作“此乐提梁壶”以828万元成交 

-

紫砂七老之朱可心：近代花货巨匠

朱可心（1904-1986）,原名开张、凯长，宜兴紫砂名艺人，花货巨匠，一代宗师，中国美术家协会江苏分会会长。生于宜兴蜀山，14岁拜汪生？为师学艺，31年受聘于宜兴陶瓷职业学校任技师、工场教员，作品"云龙鼎"获美国芝加哥博览会"特级优奖".54年受命组建宜兴蜀山陶业生产合作社，为宜兴紫砂工艺厂创始人之一。56年被江苏省政府任命为技术辅导，先后授艺带徒数十人，名艺人有汪寅仙、李碧芳、潘春芳、许成权、范洪泉、谢曼伦、曹婉芬、王小龙、高丽君、史志鹏、倪顺生、李芹仙等，57年参加全国民间艺人代表大会，六十至七十年代设计新品达数百种，分别为国内外各大博物馆收藏。
朱可心是现代紫砂史上德艺双馨的杰出人物，是大家公认的紫砂花货一代宗师。他从艺七十余年，刻苦钻研，全面继承和发扬紫砂传统技艺，创作了数以百计的紫砂经典作品。朱可心善于从自然界中吸取灵感，作品变化法度合宜、疏繁得体、生意盎然。他的流世佳品《报春壶》、《三友壶》、《彩蝶壶》等至今畅销不衰。朱可心是近代紫砂历史最重要的一位人物，获得多项第一。
第一个夺取了国际大奖：1932年朱可心作品《云龙鼎》获百年一度的美国芝加哥博览会"特级优奖".第一个在新中国成立后的1953年"全国美术工艺观摩大会上获得国内大奖。朱可心是第一个进入高等美术院校进修的紫砂艺人。1954年参加中央美术学院华东分院"民间美术工艺研究班",系统学习了有关工艺美术理论。第一个参与企业管理。1954年合作化后，即担任副主任负责技术管理。第一个开发设计了一种造型多种装饰的系列产品，满足了人们的需要。
朱可心大师受人敬仰的还有他的一生清风，淡薄名利。即使是到了晚年，依然清贫甘苦、勤俭朴实、不受利诱 、保持晚节。进入上世纪80年代，随着改革开放，紫砂艺术品首先在港台地区受到青睐。朱可心作为当代制壶巨匠、花货素饰器一代宗师，自然也成了港台紫砂市场中令人注目的追逐对象。朱可心大师本来对自己的作品就极为严谨，早先的作品也已基本捐献给了博物馆。加上由于身体的原因，已到晚年的他就更少有作品流到市场。一些商人为了渔利，百般纠缠，欲用朱可心大师的印章制假，而他秉持磊落的品行不为金钱而折腰，到自己已无力做壶时让家人当面将印章全部销毁。这在紫砂市场中假冒、代工等现象时有耳闻的当今社会是尤为值得人们敬仰的风范。

Kungfu tea drinking

Quality Puerh tea

Do you want a cup of kungfu tea (功夫茶)? People of different culture may think that this is the favourite tea of Jacky Chan or Jet Lee, both are world renowned kungfu (功夫) actors. Actually kungfu tea refers to a very old Chinese tea ceremony originated in Fujian. This type of tea drinking ceremony has influenced many parts of S E Asia where there are Chinese community of Fujian (Hokkien) origin. Kungfu, in Chinese language, apart from kungfu fighting, it means effort. So drinking kungfu tea literally means ' drinking tea made with effort'. This process involves the ritualised preparation and presentation of tea to maximize its fragrance and taste, especially serving a fine tea from China and Taiwan.

To make kungfu tea, apart from quality tea leaves, one must also pay particular attention to equipment used, water chemistry and temperature, and the manner tea is served to guests. In essence, what is desired in kungfu tea is a brew that smells and tastes good and is satisfying to the soul. Since the process is quite laborious, it may take from 10 to 20 minutes just to prepare 4 to 8 small cups of tea using teapots of appropriate size. Equipment generally consists of kettle, teapot (or covered bowl), tea spoon (for moving tea leaves into the pot) decanting vessel, strainer, tea pick (to clear the sprout of teapot), drip tray, cups (longer cups are for sniffing the fragrance of tea, shorter ones are for drinking) and tea towel. Water quality is another issue not to neglect. The best water to brew tea is clean water from mountain streams (one can use bottled mineral water instead), most people use tap water which is readily available. For Puerh tea, water temperature should be boiling but for most green teas (oolong or dragon well), temperature should be lower as the tea leaves are more delicate (80 to 90 degrees depending on tea). Tea experts normally observe the bubbles of the boiling water to tell its temperature. Small teapots are used as the tea is served in small cups. The teapots come in sizes to fill 2 cups, 4 cups

Tea cups for serving kungfu tea

and up to 8 cups. Usually teapots to fill 4 cups are ideal for kungfu tea.



Ideal teapot for kungfu tea

My set of equipment for making tea

The kungfu tea ceremony should be carried out on a table large enough to hold the tea-making utensils, the drip tray, and the water is the minimum necessary. Ideally the surroundings should be peaceful and conducive to relaxation and socialization. Incense, flowers, and low, soft, traditional music will all add to the ambience, as will songbirds. The whole process can be summarised as follows:

The first stage of preparation is to warm the teapot and heat up the cups using hot boiling water to sterilize them.  Wooden tweezers may be used instead of bare hands for handling the cups.

The second stage is to examine and appreciate the appearance, smell, and other characteristics of the tea used during the ceremony.

The third stage is to fill the teapot with tea. For a 150 ml tea pot at least 15 grams of tea leaves are used, however depending on the size of the pot and the strength of the tea the pot may be filled between 1/2 and 2/3 full.

Next, the leaves are now rinsed using hot water poured from some height above the teapot. Water heated to the appropriate temperature for the tea is then poured into the pot until the pot overflows. Any debris or bubbles which form on the surface are then scooped away gently and the teapot is then closed with the lid. Customarily this first brew is poured into the cups but is not drunk. Some may use the first brew to pour over outside of the teapot.

The teapot is then refilled with fresh hot water until the water reaches the mouth of the pot. To brew the tea, hot water is poured closer to the leaves in order not to force the flavour from the leaves too rapidly. When the brew is ready (usually this takes a couple of minutes) the tea is then poured evenly into the tea cups, in a circular manner around the guests. In some styles, however, often the tea is first emptied into the tea pitcher (decanter) before being poured into the cups to serve the guests. A quality oolong tea is good for anywhere from 4 to 8 infusions. Some Puerh teas can last for 8 or more infusions. Each subsequent brew follows the same procedure, but requires a slightly longer infusion time.

Before drinking the tea, the aroma of the tea is enjoyed first before its taste. In this case, the tea is first poured into the tea jug, and then into scent cups (聞香杯), or sniffer cup. As the scent cups can still be hot, one can always roll the cup to and fro in his palm to lower the temperature before smelling the nice fragrance of tea smell still linger in the cup (of course after the tea is emptied into the drinking cup).

After enjoying the scent of the tea, the guest can then drink his tea in three sips, no less; the first a small one, the second the main one, and the last an after taste.
The ceremony ends with the used tea leaves being put into a clean bowl for the guests to appreciate the tea in its used form. Good etiquette dictates that the guests should make appropriate compliments regarding the choice of tea.

Cleaning up is an important step in the ritual. Brewed tea and tea leaves should not remain in the teapot after the ritual. The pot must be cleaned up thoroughly and rinsed with hot tea. Utensils must be sterilized with boiling water. The teapot should be rinsed with hot tea and the outside should be rubbed and polished with a good linen cloth. A clay teapot should never be washed with detergents or soaps. The teapot must be allowed to dry naturally.

The above procedure may look rather elaborate. This often put off beginners to appreciate the joy of drinking fine Chinese tea. However, one can always modify the steps to suit one's style and convenience. The may issue is to enjoy the a cup of good Chinese tea. Do not let any complicated tea ritual hinder your love of drinking Chinese tea. For most busy professionals, time is crucial. I keep a very simple set of equipment to brew Chinese tea in my office. A kettle, some teapots, tea cups and spoon, a jug and a wooden drip tray that has a plastic tube to drain used water into a bucket kept below the table. This will very much simplify the whole tea making process and give me more time to enjoy more tea.

Polished Yixing teapot of the 19th century



Polished teapot with gold finishes