1. The Raw Material: “Five-Color Earth” (五色土)

The soul of a Yixing pot is the clay itself. Mined from the Huanglong Mountain (黄龙山) in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, this ore is often called “Five-Color Earth” because of the vibrant natural hues it takes on after firing.

Unlike standard pottery clay, Zisha is a mineral-rich ore containing quartz, mica, and high levels of iron oxide. It has a unique double-pore structure (双重气孔结构):

• Internal pores: Trap heat and the tea’s essential oils.
• External pores: Allow the pot to “breathe,” oxygenating the tea while preventing it from going stale.

The Three Main Families of Clay:

1. Zi Ni (紫泥 - Purple Mud): The most classic and abundant. It has high porosity and excellent heat retention.

• Best for: Ripe Puerh, Black Tea, and aged Oolongs.

2. Zhu Ni (朱泥 - Cinnabar/Red Mud): A rare, high-shrinkage clay with a bright red color. It is denser and less porous, making it better at preserving high-pitched floral aromas.

• Best for: High-fragrance Oolongs (like Dan Cong or Tie Guan Yin).

3. Duan Ni (段泥 - Fortified/Yellow Mud): Ranges from golden to beige or even greenish. It is highly breathable and has a “cooler” character.

• Best for: Green tea, White tea, or Raw Puerh.

2. Famous Makers: From Ancient Monks to Grandmasters

The history of Yixing is a lineage of masters. When you see a seal on the bottom of a pot, you are looking at a signature of authority.

• Gong Chun (供春): The legendary founder. During the Ming Dynasty, he was a servant who learned the secret of the clay from a monk at Jinsha Temple. His “Ginkgo Gall” pot is one of the most famous designs in history.
• Shi Dabin (时大彬): The man who standardized the craft. He moved away from using molds and pioneered the “all-handmade” beating technique used today.
• Chen Mansheng (陈曼生): A scholar-official who collaborated with potters to create the “18 Mansheng Styles.” He was the first to bridge the gap between literati art (poetry/calligraphy) and functional pottery.
• Gu Jingzhou (顾景舟): The modern “God of Yixing” (1915–1996). His works are the “Stradivarius” of teapots, often selling for millions of dollars at auction. He elevated the craft to a level of mathematical and aesthetic perfection.

3. Different Shapes: Form Meets Function

In Yixing culture, shapes are categorized into “Geometries” and “Nature-Inspired.” Each shape influences how the water swirls and how the leaves expand.

Geometric Classics (圆器/方器)

• Xi Shi (西施): Named after one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. It is round, plump, and has a short spout. It’s the “gold standard” for beginners because it pours quickly and feels comfortable in the hand.
• Shi Piao (石瓢 - Stone Gourd): A pyramidal shape with a wide base and three feet. It represents stability. Its wide bottom allows tea leaves (especially rolled Oolongs) to expand horizontally.
• Fang Gu (仿古 - Archaic Drum): A flattened, drum-like shape with a wide mouth. It is excellent for heat dissipation and easy cleaning.

Bionic/Nature Shapes (花器)

• Gong Chun (供春): Mimics the texture of an old tree gall. It is rugged, organic, and represents a return to nature.
• Bamboo (竹段): These pots use the segments of a bamboo stalk as the body, symbolizing integrity and flexibility.

4. The Craftsmanship: Full-Handmade vs. Half-Handmade

This is the most debated topic for new collectors.

• Full-Handmade (全手工 - quán shǒugōng): The artist beats the clay into a flat sheet, wraps it into a cylinder, and shapes it entirely by hand and simple wooden tools. No two are identical. You can often see a vertical “seam” inside the body and irregular tool marks.
• Half-Handmade (半手工 - bàn shǒugōng): The artist still prepares the clay by hand, but uses a plaster mold to ensure the body is perfectly symmetrical. This allows for higher production while still maintaining high-quality clay.

Blogger’s Tip: For daily drinking, a high-quality half-handmade pot is perfect. Reserve “full-handmade” for when you want a piece of art to collect.

5. Interesting Aspect: “Thief Light” vs. “Patina”

When you first buy a Zisha pot, it will look dull and “dusty.” This is natural.

Some cheap, fake pots have a suspicious, oily shine right out of the box—collectors call this “Thief Light” (贼光 - zéguāng). It’s usually caused by waxes or chemical polishes.

A real pot develops a Patina (包浆 - bāojiāng) over months of use. As you pour tea over the pot and “nourish” it (Yang Hu - 养壶), the tea oils fill the pores, and the pot begins to glow from the inside out with a soft, jade-like luster.

This is perhaps the most important skill for any budding tea enthusiast. Because Yixing clay is a finite resource and the craft is so prestigious, the market is flooded with “mud pots” (chemically dyed ordinary clay) or machine-made replicas.

To the untrained eye, they all look like brown teapots. But once you know what to look, touch, and listen for, the “real” Zisha will start to stand out. Here is how to perform your own forensic audit on a pot.

7. How to Identify Authenticity: The Four-Step Test

1. The Visual Test (Look for the “Grain”)

Real Zisha is a mix of various minerals. When you look closely at the surface (using a magnifying glass if necessary), it shouldn’t look like a solid, flat color.

• The “Stars”: You should see tiny, sandy particles of different colors (yellow, black, or white) embedded in the clay. These are the “grains” of the ore.
• The Luster: Authentic Zisha has a “Matte Glow.” If a new pot is extremely shiny or looks oily, it has likely been waxed or treated with chemicals to mimic a patina. Real clay looks “dry” but warm.

2. The Tactile Test (The Feel)

Run your thumb over the body of the pot.

• Real: It should feel like fine-grit sandpaper—slightly sandy but not sharp. In Chinese, we describe this as “Sandy but smooth” (砂而不涩 - shā ér bù sè).
• Fake: If it feels like smooth plastic or cold glass, it is likely high-fired slip-cast clay with a chemical coating.

3. The Internal Audit (The Hand-made Marks)

The inside of the pot tells the true story of its birth. Turn the pot over and look inside with a flashlight.

• Radial Lines: Look at the bottom of the pot inside. If you see perfectly circular, concentric rings, the pot was made on a potter’s wheel (which is not traditional for Zisha) or a machine.
• The Seam: In a Full-Handmade (全手工) pot, you should see a faint vertical line where the sheet of clay was joined together. This is usually located under the handle.
• Hand-Beaten Marks: You may see uneven patches or slight finger indentations where the artist supported the wall while beating the exterior.

4. The Water Test (Absorption & Smell)

This is the most “scientific” way to test the double-pore structure.

• The “Drying” Test: Pour boiling water over the outside of the pot. A real Zisha pot will “breathe.” The water should be absorbed or evaporated evenly and relatively quickly (within seconds to a minute). If the water beads up and rolls off like a rain jacket, the pores are sealed or the clay is fake.
• The Scent Test: Pour hot water into the empty pot, wait a second, and then smell the steam coming out.
• Real: Should smell like wet earth or rain on a dusty road (Petrichor).
• Fake: If you smell chemicals, plastic, or a “burnt” metallic scent, put the lid back on and walk away—those are dyes and artificial binders.

Common “Red Flags” to Avoid

• The Price is Too Good: Authentic Yixing ore is expensive, and the labor is intensive. If you see a “Master Hand-made Zisha Pot” for $20, it is guaranteed to be a mass-produced imitation.
• Perfect Uniformity: If a shop has 50 “handmade” pots that are identical down to the millimeter, they are machine-molded (Guanzhu - 灌浆).
• High-Pitched “Ring”: There is a myth that a “ringing” sound when you tap the lid means it’s good. In reality, a very high pitch often just means the clay is very dense or high-fired, not necessarily authentic Zisha. Be careful not to chip the pot by tapping too hard!

When you are starting out, don’t worry about finding a “Master” pot. Focus on finding “Real Clay” (原矿 - yuánkuàng). A simple, honest pot made of good earth will brew better tea than a fancy, fake pot decorated with gold.