How to choose Yixing Zisha Teapots

Six-character Scripture of Yixing Purple Clay Pot Collecting

“The world’s jewels and jade are safe enough to get there. It’s like Yangxian a pill of soil.” Zisha teapot not only gives people a sense of enjoyment, but also because of the lack of raw materials and the unique performance of the finished product, it brings a wide range of investment space. To purchase and collect a purple clay teapot that is both practical and artistic, you should consider the six words "mud", "shape", "work", "style", "gong" and "name".

After the mid-Ming Dynasty, it became popular in China to use teapots to make tea, and Yixing Zisha teapots became a tea-drinking tea maker because of its practical advantages: Main appliances. The purple clay teapot not only has the practical value of making tea and making incense, but also has the value of playing and collecting because of its special materials, exquisite workmanship, unsuitable appearance and subtle connotation. Since the Ming Dynasty, the purple clay pot has become the object of seeking Tibet.

Purchasing and collecting a purple clay pot with the dual characteristics of utility and artwork, you need to consider the six words "mud", "shape, "work", "style", "gong" and "name".

Clay

"Clay" is the fundamental value of the purple clay pot. Only a pot made of pure Yixing purple clay can have practical use, investment and collection value.

The purple clay teapot has a good taste preservation function, and the original taste is not lost when making tea; the old tea is not bad, and the moss will not be greasy in the summer; it can withstand the dramatic changes in temperature. These characteristics are due to the double vent structure of the purple clay mud that other clays do not have. This structure enables the purple clay teapot to brew more fragrant tea than other teapots, and at the same time can preserve the tea for a longer time without deterioration. In China, only Dingshan in Yixing can mine this kind of purple sand mud with a double vent structure. Therefore, in China, Zisha mud is the only one, and the pot made of the only mud is of course irreplaceable.

In addition to the structural difference, the pure purple clay mud also gives people a sense of enjoyment because of its "not flashy color and not greasy quality". At the same time, the large amount of trace elements required by the human body contained in its raw ore can be used in the tea. At the same time provide what the human body needs. The biggest difference from other tea-making tools is that after a period of water nourishment, the purple sand pot can show the state of "outside purple jade, inside like blue cloud" (Wenlong's "Tea Jiang"), so the purple sand pot will have The name of Ziyu Jinsha, and the dim light that emanates from the whole body makes the feeling of tea tasters towards Zisha pots beyond the word "intoxication".

　　It is precisely because of people's love for purple clay pots that the continuous mining of purple clay for hundreds of years has made the mines of purple clay less and less. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zhuni, the best of red clay, had disappeared. The large-scale mining of modern industrialization has accelerated the disappearance of the non-renewable resource of purple sand mud. The purple sand mud is decreasing. The best mud in the purple sand mud, such as the "bottom soap" mud, is decreasing at a faster rate because the amount of mining and usage are greater than other types of mud. According to people from the purple sand industry, China's purple sand has already faced the awkward situation of reduced production and disappearance of the original purple sand ore. Yixing’s purple sand ore layer can only provide up to 50 years of raw ore mining. Subsequently, people can only search for the original purple sand ore in memory and use pure purple sand. Due to the unavoidable consumption of clay teapots during use and preservation, the number of teapots in the world will gradually decrease. Therefore, it is of great investment or collection significance to enter the purple clay pot market made of pure purple clay.

Shape

　　The "shape" of the purple clay teapot is ever-changing, because the purple clay teapots with investment and collection value are all made by hand. The purple clay teapot not only gathers the creative wisdom and brainchild of the craftsmen, but also reflects the understanding and expectation of the craftsman for the purple clay teapot. Although the zisha teapot is "square and non-shape, round and different", as an indispensable part of Chinese tea culture, the artistic conception pursued by the zisha teapot should be "cleansing the troubles, indifferent and clear, transcending the world" pursued by the tea ceremony. The artistic conception of the artist wants to be harmonious, so the purple clay teapot with the shape of "ancient clumsy charm" can be accepted by traditional Chinese culture. According to the law of "the more fashionable the easier it is to be eliminated, the more traditional the easier it is to spread", the simple and traditional shape of the purple clay pot has more collection significance and appreciation space than the strange shape.

Work (Craftsmanship)

　　"Work" is the soul of the value of the purple clay pot. The making of a pot has to go through dozens of processes. Only the careful production of the various procedures can make the pot properly reflect the warmth of the purple clay, the "shape has a sophisticated foundation, and the "style" and "function" of different purple clay pots can be compared with each other. Good purple clay In addition to the flow, handle, button, lid, shoulder, abdomen, and ring feet of the pot, the overall proportion of the pot body should be coordinated, and the transition of points, lines, and surfaces must also be clearly and smoothly explained. On the whole, the shape of the purple sand pot Correct, no awkward feeling; in the details, the purple clay teapot is straight when it is straight, when it is curved, it is beard, and when it is hair, there is a slight ambiguity. The well-crafted purple clay pots can stimulate people's high emotions, or have a reserved temperament. It not only expresses the author's thoughts, but also has the "god", "qi" and "state" that are different from other pots.

Pattern

　　"Pattern" refers to the poetry, calligraphy and painting engraved on the purple clay pot, which are also included in the value of the purple clay pot. Good engravings, even those made by celebrities, will greatly enhance the artistry and collectability of the purple clay pot. A pot dealer in Yixing once asked a celebrity to engrave the words "tea-tasting" on a pot. The value of this pot is not comparable to similar pots.

Function

　　Another value of the purple clay pot is reflected in the "function" of the purple clay pot. The functions of the purple clay teapot are mainly manifested in four aspects: moderate capacity, proper height, tight mouth lid and smooth water flow. To a certain extent, purple clay pots with good "gong" are more valuable than those with bad "gong".

　　Generally speaking, fine “work” can make the purple clay pot have better use of “function”. However, some Zisha artists lack the understanding of using Zisha teapots to make tea without drinking tea. They are not clear about the differences in the details of the workmanship of Zisha teapots required by different teas. Therefore, even if the teapot made is good in "work" and "function", the teapot does not reflect the characteristics of different teas, making tea tasting fun. Of course, the value of such a teapot is not very high.

Author

　　The "name" of the teapot refers to the author of the teapot, and the author's fame constitutes the added value of the teapot. Pots made by famous people are sold at a higher price than ordinary craftsmen's pots. A stone scoop by the late Zisha master Gu Jingzhou was auctioned for a sky-high price of 900,000 yuan. Therefore, when investing in the collection of purple clay pots, it is very necessary to consider the reputation of the maker. But this also requires investors to have the ability to "know the truth". The more famous people make pots, the more likely they are to be counterfeited. Once the counterfeit famous pot is broken, it becomes worthless. It is only safe to invest in famous teapots if they are familiar with the teapot and the maker.

　　For lovers of purple clay pots who are not well-funded, they can also pay attention to and dig out the real materials, exquisite workmanship, and their own unique pot-making style, but the less famous pot-makers today. This kind of person is like a "dark horse." When fame and reputation develops in the future, the increase in the added value of their pot will surely bring satisfactory returns to investors.

　　After about 10 years of adjustment, people's investment in purple clay pots has become more rational, and the price of purple clay pots has also begun to rise from the bottom. It should be a good time to invest and collect the purple clay pot now.

紫砂壶收藏六字经

“人间珠玉安足取，岂如阳羡一丸土。”紫砂壶不仅能给人感观上的享受，更因为其制作原料的缺性，成品的唯一性能带来广泛的投资空间。选购收藏一把兼具实用性和艺术性的紫砂壶，要从“泥”、“形”、“工”、“款”、“功”、“名”六个字着眼去考虑。

明代中期以后，中国逐渐流行用茶壶泡茶，而宜兴紫砂壶因其具有“既不夺香，又无熟汤气”（文震亨《长物志》）的实用优势一跃成为饮茶的主要用具。紫砂壶不但具有泡茶烹香的实用价值，还因其用材特殊考究、做工精巧细致、外形不媚不俗、内涵委婉含蓄而具有把玩收藏的价值。从明代起，紫砂壶就成为追索求藏的对象。

选购收藏一把具有实用品和艺术品双重特性的紫砂壶，则需要从“泥”、“形、“工”、“款”、“功”、“名”六个字着眼去考虑。

泥

“泥”是紫砂壶价值的根本所在，一把用纯正宜兴紫砂泥做出来的壶才具有现实的使用、投资、收藏价值。

紫砂壶具有保味功能好，泡茶不失原味; 陈茶不馊，暑天越宿不起腻苔; 经得起温度冷热巨变的特点。这些特点都缘于紫砂泥具有而其他泥没有的双透气孔结构，这种结构使紫砂壶能比其他材质的茶壶泡出更香的茶，同时能较长时间地保存茶水而不变质。在国，只有在宜兴的丁山才能开采出这种具有双透气孔结构的紫砂泥。因此在中国，紫砂泥是唯一的，用唯一的泥做出的壶当然也是不可代替的。

除了结构上的差异，纯正的紫砂泥还因其“色不艳，质不腻”的特点给人感官上的享受; 同时其原矿中含有的大量人体所需的微量元素，会在泡茶的同时提供人体所需。而与其他泡茶工具最大的不同在于，经过一段时间的水滋养，紫砂壶能表现出“外类紫玉，内如碧云”（闻龙《茶翦》）的状态，紫砂也就有了紫玉金砂的名头，其浑身散发的黯然之光使品茶人对紫砂壶的感情非“陶醉”一词可以形容。

　　正是由于人们对紫砂壶的钟爱，几百年来不停地开采紫砂泥，使得紫砂泥的矿藏越来越少。在清朝末期，红泥中的极品--朱泥就已经绝迹。而现代工业化的大规模开采更加速了紫砂泥这种不可再生资源的消失。紫砂泥在减少，紫砂泥中泥质最好的泥，如“底皂”泥，因开采量及使用量大于其他泥种，便以更快的速度在减少。据紫砂界人士介绍，中国紫砂已经面临紫砂原矿减产、消失的尴尬局面，宜兴的紫砂矿层只能提供最多50年的原矿开采，随后，人们只能在记忆中去寻找紫砂原矿，而用纯正紫砂泥做的紫砂壶，因其在使用和保存中不可避免的消耗，存世量将会逐渐减少。因此，现在介入用纯正紫砂泥做的紫砂壶市场是非常具有投资或收藏意义的。

形

　　紫砂壶的“形”千变万化，因为具有投资和收藏价值的紫砂壶皆由手工做成。紫砂壶不仅聚集了手工艺人的创作智慧和心血结晶，更体现了手工匠人对紫砂壶的理解与期望。虽然紫砂壶“方非式，圆不一相”，但作为中国茶文化不可或缺的一部分，紫砂壶所追求的意境，应与茶道所追求的“涤净烦嚣，淡泊明志，超世脱俗”的意境想融洽，所以具有“古拙韵味”造型的紫砂壶才能被中国的传统文化所接纳。根据“越时髦越容易被淘汰，越传统越容易被流传”的规律，古朴传统造型的紫砂壶比造型奇特的壶更具有的收藏的意义及升值的空间。

工

　　“工”是紫砂壶价值的灵魂所在。一把壶的制成要经过几十上百道工序。只有道道工序的精心制作，才能使壶恰如其分地体现紫砂泥的温润，才能使“形具有考究的基础，才能使不同紫砂壶的“款”和“功”有了相互比较的根本。好的紫砂壶除了壶的流、把、钮、盖、肩、腹、圈足应与壶身整体比例协调外，点、线、面的过渡转折也一定要交待清楚、流畅。在整体上，紫砂壶形态端正，无别扭感觉之处; 在细节上紫砂壶当直则直，当曲则曲，当须则须，当毛则毛”，有丝毫含糊。做工精良的紫砂壶或给人高昂情绪的激发，或人气质内敛的含蓄，不仅表达着作者的思想，更具有区别于其他壶的“神”、“气”、“态”。

款

　　“款”是指镌刻在紫砂壶上的诗词书画及印款，这些也包含在紫砂壶的价值之内。好的镌刻甚至是出自名人之手的镌刻，会大大提升紫砂壶的艺术性和收藏性。宜兴一位壶商，曾请一位知名人士在一壶上刻下“品茶论道”四个字，此壶的价值就非同类壶所能比拟。

功

　　紫砂壶的另一价值体现在紫砂壶的使用“功”能上。紫砂壶功能主要表现在容量适度、高矮得当、口盖严密及出水流畅四个方面。“功”好的紫砂壶在一定的程度上比“功”不好的紫砂壶具有较高的价值。

　　一般来说，精细的做“工”可以使紫砂壶具有较好的使用“功”能。但是有些紫砂艺人自身不喝茶也就缺乏对用紫砂壶泡茶的理解，不清楚不同茶叶要求紫砂壶在做工细节上的区别。因此做出来的茶壶就算做“工”较好、“功” 能不错，可壶不能很好地体现不同茶叶的特点，使得品茶变得乐趣全无。这样的紫砂壶的价值当然也不会很高。

名

　　紫砂壶的“名”是指壶的作者，作者的名气构成了紫砂壶的附加价值。名头响亮的人做出的然比一般匠人的壶卖价卖得高，已故紫砂大师顾景舟的一款石瓢就被拍卖出90万元的天价。所以在投资收藏紫砂壶时，非常有必要考虑制壶之人的名气。但这也需要投资者具有“慧眼识真”的本领，名气越大的人所做之壶，被仿冒的几率也会更大。而仿冒的名家壶一旦被拆穿也就变得一文不值。只有在对紫砂壶和制壶人足够熟悉的情况下，投资名家壶才失为安全之举。

　　对于资金不太宽裕的紫砂壶爱好者来讲，也可注意和挖掘用料真实，做工精细，有自己独特制壶风格，但现今名气较小的制壶者。这种人就如同“黑马”，他日名气及口碑长足发展的时候，其壶的附加价值的增长定会给投资者带来满意的回报。

　　经过10年左右时间的调整，人们对紫砂壶的投资已经趋于理性，紫砂壶的价格也开始从谷底向上攀升。现在入紫砂壶的投资与收藏应该是比较好的时机。