Photos are of actual teapot. Only 1 available.
Capacity: Approximately 220ml
This teapot was handmade in the Li Brothers Studio. The carvings of the fish were made by Li Changquan 黎昌权 and the Chinese Characters were carved by Wei Dong 卫东. 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:
鲤鱼跳龙门
一朝化作龙
飞腾九万里
翻江倒海中
This is a poem describing a legendary story about breaking through and succeeding. In the story, the carp has leapt through the dragon’s gate and become a dragon; flying overhead in the sky and diving into the deep ocean.
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.