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Yixing Factory Number One is the oldest teapot factory in China. The factory houses skilled artisans who set strict standards for their work.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2013) |
Yixing Factory Number One is the oldest teapot factory in China. The factory houses skilled artisans who set strict standards for their work.
In 1918, the Jiangsu Provincial Ceramics Factory was established for the production of pottery using Yixing clay. By 1932, more than 600 craftspeople worked in Yixing. During the Japanese invasion, the artists scattered and many subsequently died. Under the People's Republic of China government, industry began to revive. [1] In 1954, 59 potters began the Zisha production group of the Shushan workshop with funding from the Tangdu Pottery co-operative. The government established Factory No. 1 in April 1958. Before that time, no proper ranking existed for the craftsmen. Every maker mined, mixed and took courses and exams to be recognised. It took about three years of training to advance through the system. At each stage the craftsmen were required to complete a test to attain a new title. The craftsmen would begin as an 'Assistant Master Craftsman', then ascend through the ranks of 'Master Craftsman', 'Senior Master Craftsman' and finally 'National Master Craftsman'. Their signature product was artisan-crafted teapots.
Starting in 1966, the Cultural Revolution [2] led Factory No. 1 to begin to produce utilitarian pots in a style known as shui ping hu in vast numbers. Instead of having the name of the craftsman who made the pot on the bottom, these pots had characters that represented Yixing. [3] During this time, the factory walls were filled with slogans painted in red that insisted that art was for the people and not for self-aggrandizement. Many connoisseurs still prize these pots for their simplicity and quality.
With the end of the Cultural Revolution, new ranks for craftsmen were subsequently introduced in the 1970s:
Today, teapots produced by the factory are diverse and creative; masters have resumed signing their work and their creations are in high demand. Waits for a master craftsman's commissioned pot can reach up to two years.[ citation needed ]
Gu Jingzhou, one of the founders and deputy director of Research and Technology at the factory, was an accomplished master artist. His teapots have sold for up to $US 2 million. Jiang Rong was a Grand Master. Her teapots emulated nature. Ren Ganting (1889-1968), an ambidextrous artist who created natural forms, participated in the National Labour Heroes Convention. Pei Shimin (1892-1979) started making teapots at age 14. Zhu Kexin (1904-1986) began making teapots before the war and worked in the Jiangsu factory as a youth. He has since received many honours. [1]
Yixing Factory No. 2 was formed in 1984 by brothers Xu Siew Tang and Xu Han Tang, both master craftsmen. They managed to lure some craftsmen and women from Factory No. 1 to join them.
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea bags or as loose tea, in which case a tea infuser or tea strainer may be of some assistance, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured. Teapots usually have an opening with a lid at their top, where the dry tea and hot water are added, a handle for holding by hand and a spout through which the tea is served. Some teapots have a strainer built-in on the inner edge of the spout. A small air hole in the lid is often created to stop the spout from dripping and splashing when tea is poured. In modern times, a thermally insulating cover called a tea cosy may be used to enhance the steeping process or to prevent the contents of the teapot from cooling too rapidly.
Chinese tea culture includes all facets of tea, both physical and spiritual, that have significantly influenced Chinese culture throughout history. Physically, it consists of the history of tea cultivation, brewing, serving techniques, methods of consumption, arts, and the tea ceremony. Tea culture is to take tea as a carrier, and through this carrier to spread various arts. Tea culture is an integral part of traditional Chinese culture. Tea culture is the organic fusion of tea and culture, which contains and embodies the manifestation of a certain period of material and spiritual civilization. Tea culture is the combination of tea art and spirit, and the expression of tea art through Spirituality. It emerged in China in the Tang dynasty, flourished in the Song and Ming dynasties, and declined in the Qing dynasty.
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Yixing clay is a type of clay from the region near the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province, China, used in Chinese pottery since the Song dynasty (960–1279) when Yixing clay was first mined around China's Lake Tai. From the 17th century on, Yixing wares were commonly exported to Europe. The finished stoneware, which is used for teaware and other small items, is usually red or brown in colour. Also known as zisha (宜興紫砂) ware, they are typically left unglazed and use clays that are very cohesive and can form coils, slabs and most commonly slip casts. These clays can also be formed by throwing. The best known wares made from Yixing clay are Yixing clay teapots, tea pets, and other teaware.
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Yixing clay teapots, also called Zisha teapot, are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style commonly used to brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced near Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.
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