Hui Mengchen (孟臣款) teapots

Do you know who created the classic shape of this Yixing teapot?

The Bahkut-teh teapot

This is the popular Bahkut-teh (Spare rib soup) teapot for kungfu tea drinking. The reason it is chosen as the teapots to serve with this local dish (Bahkut teh) is because the pots are relatively cheap. So the owner of the food-stall that sells this dish can order large quantity of the pots and loan to the customers to sip a cup of Chinese tea while enjoying the spare-ribs soup. It won't cost much if the customers break them accidentally.

Actually, the design of this teapot first appeared in the 16th century, during the Ming dynasty. The potter was a famous Yixing native known as Hui Mengchen. Hui had a long creative life, for he seemed to have flourished from the Tianqi/Chongzhen (last 2 Ming emperors) until the last quarter of the 17th century (well into the Qing period).

He is well known for his pear-shaped teapots, which exerted great influence on latter potters, both at home and abroad. For this particular shape, so elegant and pleasing to the eye, is capable of many modifications which inspire the imaginative potter. After Mengchen's pots had been exported to Europe in the later 17th century, examples became known to English silversmiths, who based on this shape created what is today known as the Queen Anne silver tea set. This in turn served as a model for other European silversmiths to follow. That is the reason why today you will see Englishmen/westerners brew their English tea in pots closely resembling the tradition Bahkut teh teapots, the only difference is that the teapots for English tea are larger in size and with a white glaze.

The business which Hui started was continued by his descendants up to the 19th century. These teapots have the words made by Jingxi (Yixing's old name) Hui Mengchen 荊溪惠孟臣製 inscribed at the bottom of the pots.

Up until the 60s (maybe early 70s), these small teapots made from Yixing still have the words Jingxi Hui Mencheng inscribed at the bottom. As most of these pots were exported to Taiwan (a major tea drinking nation), it was better to have these words than the ones Made in China inscribed at the bottom of the teapots. For when the custom officers saw the words Made in China, they would surely smashed all these pots ( No diplomatic tie between China and Taiwan then). There are also other Mengchen pots with the words China Yixing inscribed at the base (for markets outside Taiwan).


China Yixing seal

It was said that when Taiwanese tourists came home from holidays in Hong Kong, their luggage were scrutinised for anything that might have comefrom the mainland (China). When the customs found ceramics and porcelains bearing the word China, they would happily crush them in front of their owners. It was heartache for someone to witness your valuable ware smashed to pieces.

Mengchen pot of the 80s

Many Mengchen teapots are now in museums and in private collections. Two are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and one in Groninger Museum. The one in WM Robertson's collection has a date 1652 carved on the base. These are the earliest Mengchen's pots created and made by the master himself. There are still other Mengchen pots made by his descendants and the ones made by Yixing factory for export to Taiwan (via Hong Kong) in the early years.