TrueOrDie Yixing Teapots and Antique Chinese Ceramics
-- George Wang, Ph.D., yixing.us(at)gmail.com
Yixing Teapot is Utensil, Art, and Toy or Pet
Drinking tea with a Yixing (Zisha or Purple sand) teapot is fun and joy. You can rub it, enjoy the tea and the beauty of the teapot (and it massages back your hand and mind). The teapot will get prettier as it ages and appreciate in value. But it must be of real Yixing in order to have this "Zisha Appeal".
Yixing Zisha Clay Teapot: Fake vs Authentic (2 min read, >95% claimed Yixing teapots on the internet are FAKE -- Chemical or None-Zisha)
Quick start
The most important for the teapot is its clay. Most modern/cheap Yixing teapots use cheap or none Zisha clays with added chemicals (therefore can be TOXIC) to boost their appearances.
Read the Q & A , Intro, and Misconceptions. Feel free to join r/YixingClayTeapot/ (where I am a moderator) and ask questions there
We try to show you what Old Yixing teapots are. First buy an old commodity teapot (cheap and easy to identify, such as this one) to learn what real Zisha is. Spend at least $100 or $200 for a teapot with a common clay type (Purple clay). See Modern Era Teapots and Clays (1949-1995)
Intro articles
Introduction to Yixing Zisha Clay Teapot or Yixing Teapot 101 (Avoid bright-colored Yixing teapots. I only use old ones)
Two legendary Yixing Zisha clays:
TianQing clay天青泥 ( main characteristics is its drastic change of color during Usage)
Greatest Masters of All Times
Ming dynasty 1506-1644)
SHI Dabin 时大彬 （Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty 1570-1662）
HUI Mengchen 惠孟臣 (Tianqi and Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty 1621-1644)
Qing dynasty (1662-1911)
CHEN Mingyuan 陈鸣远 （Kangxi and Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty 1648-1734)
YANG Jichu 杨季初 （Yongzheng and Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty 1723-1795）
YANG Pengnian 杨彭年 （Jiaqing and Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty 1796-1850)
SHAO Daheng 邵大亨 （Daoguang and Xinfeng reign of the Qing dynasty 1821-1861)
Qing Dynasty Imperial 大清年制 (1644-1911)
Modern era （Republic and PRC 1915-1996）
Masterpiece of Yixing Clay Teapots
By Years
Ming Dynasty (1506-1644)
Qing Dynasty (1662-1911)
Qing Early (Kangxi and Yongzheng 1662-1735)
Qing Mid (Qianlong 1736-1795)
Qing Late (Jiaqing and after 1796-1911)
Republic and Modern Era (1912-)
By Size
By Clay
Yixing Clay Catalogue
By Years
Ming Dynasty Teapots and Clays (1506-1644), Clays from the ZHOU Gaoqi Book
Qing Dynasty Teapots and Clays (1644-1911)
Republic Era Teapots and Clays (1912-1949)
Modern Era Teapots and Clays (1949-1995)
By Clays
Authentic Yixing: real Yixing clay + real craftsmanship (Fully Hand-Made, or Half-Hand-Made)
Fake Yixing (Wrong clays and wrong making methods )
Fake Clay: Modern Fake or Low Quality Yixing Teapots and Clays
Fake Craftsmanship wheel-throwing, machine-made, slip-casting
fake vs real: Republic Green clay - Real vs Fake