Yixing, Jiangsu Province, know in China as the “Pottery Metropolis”, produces a much-valued red ware or boccaro ware. Teapots of this category made there were appraised as the best vessel there was, already in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. Yixing earthenware is generally marked by simplicity and exquisite craftsmanship; it is also appreciated for its practical utility. The material, called zisha (purple sand), is abundantly available in the locality. Although not as white or as fine as kaolin, it needs no glazing and, after firing, the product is solid and impermeable, yet porous enough to “breathe”. A Yixing teapot enhances the tea brewed in it in respect of color, perfume, and taste. Its walls seem to absorb the tea and keep its fragrance. I have been to Yixing Pottery Museum last year; the teapots are very special and beautiful.
By Sissi Chen
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