Historical stories on purple clay teapots
Given the apparent love affair most Chinese people have with tea, you shouldn’t be shocked to learn that certain people have also found a deep connection with their teapots and other teaware. And these may not be the kind of people you’re thinking of: everyone from emperors to artists, writers to laymen have found joy in a special kind of tea pot: those crafted out of Yixing purple clay.
Ancient poet Su Dongpo (1037 – 1101) and his original purple clay teapot
Su Dongpo was the most eminent writer of the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). His works feature an unconstrained and enthusiastic style. Chinese people are so lucky that Su has left some 4,000 ancient poems to them. Besides, he was also a very famous calligrapher and painter.
At the same time, this remarkable writer was an enthusiast about tea and purple clay teapots. He even devised a novel, classic teapot called a “Dongpo Cross Beam Pot,” which modern potters still try to mimic tirelessly.
For a period of time, Su used to live at Yixing, the only place that has natural purple clay. He would savor the joy of tea while doing his work. However, the teapots at that time were all so small that he had to keep drinking one pot after another after another. This caused much trouble for him, as his creative inspiration had to be interrupted time after time.
To solve this problem, Su decided to make a large teapot with his own hands. He purchased some local earthenware clay — Yixing purple clay, and got his plan under way. However, after a few months’ effort, not a single satisfactory pot showed up. It became a secret trouble to him.
One night, a boy attendant carrying a lantern came and asked Su to have a snack. All of a sudden, a good idea came to Su’s mind: Why not make a pot in the shape of this lantern?
He bought some clay and this time, a lantern-shaped teapot was finished, but the creation turned out to be so sleek that he could not hold it. So he made a clay rope and fixed its two ends on the both sides of the pot. After firing, the clay rope that served as a lifting handle and looked like a cross beam.
After that, Su was constantly using his special big teapot while intently creating his poems. Some say he had even spent more time with the pot than with his own son. At present, there are still a number of master potters trying to emulate Su’s original design. They give their imitations a name Dongpo Cross Beam Pot, according to Su’s name and the characteristics of his famous pot.
Take a look at the photo of a real Dongpo Cross Beam Pot. It was taken at San Su Temple, the former residence of Su Dongpo, in the southwestern part of Sichuan province.
One of China’s finest emperors loved purple clay, too
The Qianlong emperor of the Qing dynasty was one of the oldest emperors in history and ruled for one of the longest periods of time.
He was a huge fan of tea, and some say this addiction was what helped him live such a long life. He would go from place to place, sampling the tea across his vast kingdom.
As a tea connoisseur, Qianlong also called for Yixing purple clay teapots to match his tea. So he amassed a large collection of first-rank purple clay teapots, as he thought it was very clear that a good purple clay teapot could bring out the original color, scent, and taste of his tea. He boasted their superior quality and functions. He called purple clay teapots ‘The best tea ware on earth.’
Qianlong loved purple clay teapots so much, there are pots with his personal seals and calligraphy printed on them in museums across China. His appreciation for these pots spurred business in Yixing, as of course everyone wanted to copy the emperor. As a result, a huge number of pots were made and large strides in the development of Yixing teaware occurred under his rule.