Drinking tea is said to have its origins, 5,000 years ago, in China.  Drinking tea in nice ceramic cups became stylish about 4,000 years later, in the Sung Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.), and the teapot, itself was invented several hundred years later, during the Ming Dynasty (1206-1368 A.D.), which is famous for its ceramic art.  The first teapot, legend says, was invented by a girl named Gong Chun who worked in the palace, and the Gong Chun style teapot has been made by many artists since that time (see picture of one that we have in our gallery, below).  It is meant to look like it is made of tree bark, and, although the original had no lid, a lid was added in later representations, through the years.  Also, since that time Chinese teapots have been made from the so-called zisha clay, which is found in only one place in the world: Yixing, China. 

Zisha clay is actually a rock paste clay made from the rocks of Yixing that contain iron, mica, kaolinite, and quartz.  What makes zisha clay so special is its porosity, its ability to retain heat, and a low shrinkage factor when fired in a kiln.  Those three properties contribute to its excellence for brewing tea, the latter quality allowing for a tightly fitting lid.  You can tell the quality of a teapot by its sound when you turn the lid or “ring” the pot by tapping the lid against the body: high quality zisha clay pots give the same kind of clear note that you find if you ping fine crystal.  In addition to the main color, purple, other natural colors of zisha are yellow, cinnabar, green and beige, and still other colors can be created by adding various metal oxides.  Another important feature of zisha is that it is naturally free of toxins found in some ceramics or glazes.

 

You can see other Chinese Yixing zisha teapots on the Leona Craig website.