Photos are of actual teapot. Only 1 available.
Volume: approximately 140ml
This teapot was handmade by Li Wenxin 李文新。
This wood fired teapot features a natural wood ash from being fired uncovered in a wood kiln, as a result areas of the teapot may appear rough or smooth with irregular glazing. Some areas, particularly the bottom of the pot, may appear rougher (see photos).
We are very excited to receive some more Nixing teapots from Huang Fu Sheng's Studio. His studio owns one of the few traditional wood fired kilns in the town of Qinzhou in Guangxi China. This kiln was rebuilt on the site of an ancient wood kiln that had been abandoned for many years.
This teapot was fired in the traditional wood kiln of the studio using pine wood as fuel. Firing nixing teapots this way is riskier than in a modern kiln and not all pieces survive the process. The teapot spent around two weeks in the kiln. The different colours and patterns on the surface of the clay are a result of the natural wood ash glaze formed by some of the pine ash when it touches the surface of the clay. The glaze is partial and only on the outside surface, leaving the nixing clay to retain its porous nature.
You can read more about the wood fired kiln and firing process here.
The Teapot was thrown and shaped by hand.
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.