Yixing Teapots

Crafts: The transformation from mineral clay to art is all handmade, using the "hammering method". Craftsmen use wooden tools to shape clay blocks by hand. They create the pot body, spout, and lid. They make sure the lid fits tightly. This way, there are no worries about the hat falling off when pouring tea. Decorative Art Literati Pot: Since the Ming Dynasty, Chen Mansheng and other scholars have designed these pots. They added poems, calligraphy, and paintings. This created a tradition of literati pots that includes "poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals."

Decorative Techniques: It includes over a dozen methods like pottery engraving, mud painting, twisted mud, and hollow carving. For example, Lu Yaochen's twisted mud technique is known as the "magic of mud". Firing Science: Mountain materials can be fired at a wide range of temperatures (1100-1400℃). They can show many colors like red, purple, blue, and ink. In contrast, foreign mountain materials need chemical additives and usually have only one color.

With long-term use, the oil from the tea seeps into the pot's walls. This creates a "patina" that shines and feels warm, like jade. The "Yangxian Teapot Series" states that "cleaning and wiping are happening more often, and the dark light shines on its own." The process of caring for the pot is seen as a way to grow personally.

The British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have important collections.
These collections include treasures made of purple clay from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Contemporary works have also entered the digital art market using blockchain certification.