Photos are of actual teapot. Only 1 available.
Capacity: Approximately 190ml
This teapot was handmade in the Li Brothers Studio. The carvings were made by Li Changquan 黎昌权. Mr. Li Changquan has over 50 years experience making Nixing Clay Teaware, having first learned the art when in his teens. He is known for his beautiful nixing carvings that have won him numerous awards and praise.
You can read more about Li Changquan and the history of the Li Brother's Studio in our blog entry here.
The Chinese reads:
松青柏翠勇斗雪
鹤展雄翼跃青云
延年益寿心平和
年深日久金愈纯
The text describes a scene of pine trees growing strongly in the snow. Cranes are about to spread their wings to fly to the blue sky. The last 2 sentences are describing the emotions of the poet - when you have a peaceful mind, you live a long and healthy life. And it takes time to test the purity of gold.
These are wheel thrown Nixing clay teapots. Each are handmade using Nixing Guangxi Clay. The teapot walls are thin-medium thickness. The clay has a mottled, dark grey to bronze brown color which varies between each pot and is a result of the clay's natural colors and the process of firing the clay.
About the Clay
Nixing Clay pottery is one of the 4 famous types of Chinese ceramics, which include Yixing Zisha. Nixing ceramics are made in Qinzhou, Guangxi. The art is quite old, having been practiced over 1000 years. The clay is found in the surrounding area of Qinzhou, is environmentally friendly, and is used without adding any glaze, paint or other chemicals, making it a safe and healthy clay for use in teaware. Nixing clay is prized for its ability to take on a patina with use, like yixing, and for its degree of porosity. The clay is less porous than zisha but more than porcelain, making it a good clay for use when brewing oolong (similar use to Zhuni Zisha).
You can read more about Nixing clay here.
Preparation Before Use
Nixing Teapots should be prepared before using the first time. This is called "opening the pot". It removes any remaining dust from the teapot.
We recommend rinsing the teapot under warm water two or three times, then filling the teapot with boiling water and emptying it out two to three times. After this the teapot is ready for use.