Chinese traditional Zisha teapot

Author: Pan Jialai, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
The beginning of civilization was marked by the hammering of stone fragments. Through the relentless labor of human hands, civilization has gradually advanced, presenting the diverse and vibrant world we see today. In the three centuries since industrialization, we have entrusted too much work to machines. However, the products of machine production are often too rigid and uniform. When surrounded by these items from assembly lines, we suddenly realize that life has lost its spirit, beauty, and classical charm. As a result, an increasing number of people are seeking out the tools and utensils made and used by their ancestors with their hands. Porcelain fragments, jade pendants, silver hairpins, wooden objects—blocks of wood carving, purple clay teapots, even bricks and tiles—all have been meticulously crafted by our ancestors with their hands, retaining their warmth and bearing the totems of our nation. When found occasionally, they are cherished like treasures, bringing great joy and solace in the process of searching and handling them. Traditional handicrafts are an important part of China's excellent cultural heritage. Chinese jade, silk, lacquerware, porcelain, and Ming and Qing furniture are among the finest handicrafts in the world, achieving remarkable accomplishments in both craftsmanship and aesthetic artistry. However, in the long-standing Confucian culture that emphasized principles over objects, the making of tools was regarded as a trivial art. In official records and historical chronicles throughout the dynasties, the achievements and contributions of artisans were rarely recorded, with only a few brief mentions or, in some cases, complete silence. The most detailed historical records available are only the Rites of Zhou - Winter Officials' Examination of Craftsmanship and the Treatise on the Mysterious Arts of Nature. Compiling this Series on the Culture of Traditional Chinese Handicrafts is an invitation to readers to return to the countryside, visit handicraft workshops, meet artisans and collectors, and hear the legendary stories behind them. A purple clay teapot is a wonderful thing—it can be admired, handled, and used for tea, satisfying the senses of sight, taste, and touch. We truly owe gratitude to our ancestors for inventing such a delightful object. At its core, a purple clay teapot is made from several special types of clay, with the best ones selling for a few hundred yuan. But after being adorned by artists like Chen Mansheng, the price of a teapot can skyrocket into astronomical figures. Thus, culture is also a form of productivity, a fact that the purple clay artisans of Yixing have long been acutely aware of. The author of this book, Liu Zhiyi, was born into a family of traditional handicrafts in Wuxi. Both his uncle and father are national-level masters of arts and crafts, and he grew up surrounded by this tradition, developing a deep affection for it. The feature of this book is that while introducing traditional crafts, it also introduces a group of young and middle-aged purple clay artisans.