by Patrick

by Patrick

This week’s blog entry is Part 2 of our series on processing Tian Qing Ni. This week we look at the steps taken from clay to finished teapot.

by Patrick

Now that the first batch of Tian Qing Ni Yixing Teapots has emerged from the kiln, we decided to write a short follow up to last October’s article, this time discussing the steps in the process for turning raw Tian Qing Ni ore into usable clay for teapots. Tian Qing Ni is a rare subcategory of purple Yixing clay (zini), prized for its beauty, ease of shaping and firing, and for improving the flavour and aroma of tea. Click here for more on the history of this clay.
 
While the steps below show Tian Qing Ni, the same process can be applied to any kind of zini. Photos are from Lin Hanpeng’s studio where the process took place. 

by Patrick

This year will be the first time we order a custom mould for our own line of Yixing Teapots. In recognition that many of our customers prefer smaller Yixing Teapots, we have ordered a mould for dicaoqing shuipings in a sub-100ml capacity. The design will recreate the classic shuiping silhouette in the studio's excellent original ore dicaoqing, a versatile zini (purple clay). As we discussed in our previous article on the topic, half-handmade teapots are made with the help of moulds, which the potter uses when shaping the clay slabs by hand into the different pieces that will form the finished teapot.

The following photos show the design in progress from Lin Hanpeng, with his explanation. The English translation follows below.

by Patrick

by Patrick

​As we mentioned in our article discussing duanni clay, the name “duanni” can refer to a broad category of zisha (Yixing clay) defined as being those clays that do not fall under the category of zini (purple clay) or hongni (red clay). Within the category "duanni," there is also the clay called “Benshan Duanni” 本山段泥. Another well-known clay within the “duanni” category is Benshan Lüni 本山绿泥. Although both are yellow clays mined from the same mountain, they differ in origin, composition and character.

by Patrick

We receive questions from time to time about teapot pricing, the scarcity of certain kinds of clay, and their value in the zisha (Yixing clay) market. It can be difficult to get an accurate sense of the zisha market online. Information about the industry is difficult to find in English, and rumour and myth often substitute for fact. 

1 ½ tons of rock sat in the yard behind Lin Hanpeng’s studio in Yixing while men smashed it into pieces with hammers. This rock, after crushing, separating and processing, yielded mostly tianqingni, but also some lipini. While tianqingni is seen as one of the most precious varieties of zini (purple clay), lipini is rarer still, appearing only in thin layers between tianqingni deposits. As we mentioned in our previous article, lipini is a kind of lüni, a soft and crumbly zisha ore containing relatively little iron oxide and appearing pale yellow after firing.
 
The tianqingni clay will sit in storage ageing for another 6 months or more before it is ready to be used. However, Lipini doesn’t require the same resting period. As I write, a small set of lipini teapots has just emerged from the kiln.
 
Having fired a lipini teapot successfully, Lin Hanpeng turned to write an article to detail the steps taken from raw ore to finished teapot. The following is our English translation of Lin Hanpeng's article with photos courtesy of Mr. Lin.