We recognized that nearly every orthodox pu’erh enthusiast would own at least one Yixing Zisha teapot, and we were keenly aware that our shop offerings in this category were lagging. Sourcing Zisha teapots proved less straightforward than acquiring teaware from Jianshui or other teaware from Yunnan. Previously, our Zisha selection came from various Yixing makers who visited Kunming, which limited our range ( primarily volumes of the teapot ) as these makers tend to follow domestic market demand. To address this, we resolved to travel directly to Yixing and source teapots firsthand from the producers and masters.

Before the journey, I tried to prepare by gathering some useful information, but the blogs and videos I found on the internet were basically romance novels written by vendors about how heritage, art, and beautiful Yixing teapots are. I couldn’t find any realistic look at the business there , practices and dark side of course at all.

We are visiting the Yixing’s teapot wholesale market, as many first-time visitors do, and founding it surprisingly quiet. It seems like only about 30% of shop units are occupied and perhaps 10% open ( Friday around 4 p.m.) We later learned that many teapot makers have relocated to cheaper or self-owned premises, which helps explain the emptier market. High rents in the wholesale market appear to be a major factor, compounded by current economic conditions and overproduction similar to the pu’erh sector ( means just too any people making it ). Strolling through the market, we casually visited those still in business and inspected the tea ware as we went.

At the first shop, we were welcomed and offered Yixing black tea, which proved to be a disappointing introduction. I’m not sure what happened in its processing, storage, or brewing, but the cup tasted sour and unpleasant, reminiscent of an old, dried Dianhong with pronounced sour notes. In a later shop, we were offered a second sample that wasn’t as bad, yet it didn’t live up to the locals’ proud claims of a “famous Yixing hong cha.”

The processing of the tea leaf resembles Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong concept.

The shop’s master has a student who is just learning how to make a teapot sprout, we are sipping the sour tea and discussing the pricing. It’s becoming clear that a fully handmade teapot isn’t aligned with our business concept, as prices start well above what our typical clientele are comfortable with, not to mention the need to add our margin. Half-handmade makes more sense, though I still struggle with the price gap compared to our Jianshui handmade pots. But it is what it is.

The comparison shows that other shops mostly produce similar shapes and larger teapots, each touting clay claims and full-handmade price tags. We visit a standout shop run by a fairly young couple crafting Gong Chun style teapots. They’ve grasped that competing on traditional shapes isn’t productive, so they’re choosing something different. In my view, although the work is more tedious, achieving a decent pot is easier when you embrace imperfect rounding as an intentional imitation of ancient teaware.

The evening after dinner, we head back to the hotel and pass by a shop where a young master sits, sipping tea and playing a phone game. We decide to enter for a digestion tea and to gain some perspective for tomorrow’s teapot hunt. We’re learning the rationale behind the high prices of fully handmade teapots. Typically, it takes 2 to 3 days for the master to craft a single teapot ( of course they don’t work like in factory 7am sharp with short lunch break and clocking out 7pm ). That means producing roughly 8 to 12 teapots a month. Adding rent and recognizing that a teapot maker with more than ten years of experience may not accept income comparable to regular jobs helps explain the higher price ( I’ll leave a personal opinion on that one to myself ). Many of them drive quite expensive cars, and some, referred to as Da Shi 大师, have built enormous mansions. We also learned that teapots from nationally recognized masters can fetch prices up to 500,000 CNY.

The cost of life in this part of China (about an hour and half by train from Shanghai) is indeed higher than in Yunnan for a city of similar size, which also factors into the demand for higher earnings. He’s exploring different approaches to make his teapots stand out, including carving at the bottom, which he claims is hand-carved but which we suspect is laser-carved. Nevertheless, despite his youth, he has some interesting pieces on the shelves, and I was impressed by his collection of “rare earths” in small glass jars.

The next day, we head to another location with a higher concentration of teapot studios. En route, we pass wholesale markets that reveal how vast this industry is. The row of shops along the road are mostly masters or vendors who have left the wholesale market, buying their own premises and using the upper floors as living or production spaces. Seeing so many of these shops supports the idea that it could experience a rise and fall similar to the puerh tea market. There are simply so many makers, and it seems the Yixing pottery surge paralleled the puerh tea boom, given how closely they are tied.

We are visiting the clay production places , pottery producing and post producing areas with final step , firing. Learning the options and costs related which confirms our expectation that those are marginal costs per unit and so the price you pay for teapot is the actually income for the master. Quite often we hear from masters of having their own kiln as it should convince us that they have lower costs so more fair price. In my calculations , doesn’t bring much financial relief , but only flexibility.

We returned to the shops area to hunt for teapots “of our size.” We went door to door, examining each piece with a professional eye informed by knowledge. In one shop, I overheard them talking about me with sarcasm, remarking that I liked to investigate teapots thoughtfully. I replied, “I’m trying to look that I understand what I’m buying.” We all laughed, though some asked what exactly I’m looking at. I shared the knowledge I’ve gathered over the past days, especially how to distinguish fully handmade pieces from half-handmade and machine-made ones. They replied with a grin that they can make a piece look fully handmade even if it isn’t.
During our exploration of the wholesale market and other tea shops, we often hit a dead end. The wisdom we gained in one shop was debunked in the next, and so on. I can only share what we’ve heard, but I wouldn’t call it a valuable information.

The clay

At this stage, I’m more convinced than ever that the clay itself is the primary factor here, not the artistry of the pottery. Our Jianshui masters can turn the wheel with the same level of craftsmanship, and in many cases at a lower price. Initially, I believed that the clay makes the big price difference, but it seems this holds true mainly within a specific price band ( the high price range pieces ) of teapots, not across the board. For the typical single teapot, the price difference often boils down to only a few yuan, not a double-digit leap. In one shop, the master urged us to focus on clay because it matters most, and I agreed. Yet in the next shop, that claim was challenged with a line like “we all use the same general price range clay sourced from places like Anhui,” saying that sourcing local clay could be prohibitively expensive and may require special government permissions to mine the rocks.

It’s commonly known that very cheap teapots are made from low-quality clay mixed with a fiberglass-like binder and other coloring agents. It makes sense to steer clear of the ultra-cheap options with bright, unusual colors. Such clays are often cast in molds in high-volume factories, producing thousands of pieces per day. Another route uses real clay formed on a potter’s wheel, shaping with a tool inserted into the form. This approach is less daily amount production than the first one, but typically avoids binding additives, though coloring may still be applied to emphasize the appearance of “cheap clay.” For half-handmade pieces, better clay is used than in the mass-produced cases, and the higher price reflects the extra labor and material quality in certain aspects. Fully handmade teapots can have better clay than half-handmade ones, though not always; it depends on the master’s decision, usually tied to the clientele’s budget. As noted earlier, it can take 2–3 days to produce a teapot, which adds significantly to costs, since time is money. Therefore, a maker often has some half-handmade pieces and a few fully handmade ones made from the same clay, with price differences arising mainly from the labor involved. Of course, if a master has clients willing to pay thousands for a teapot, sourcing exclusive clay for that project can make sense.

Duan / Tuan Ni

So we were told : Originally called “duan” 段 which is a measure word for section or segment “ni” 泥 is clay. Because local’s pronunciation it changed to “tuan” 团 “ni” 泥. It is the part of the clay between two sections of the clays.

With some particular clays this transition is quite rare , let alone the transition layer percentage is less than one color clay in same excavated area. However in some locations that layering might not be uniformed in horizontal matter but just randomly and therefore more available.

Some more images of the clay / rock samples from the young master’s glass jar collection.

Details and perfection

It does make a sense if the teapot has more details, features, carvings etc. that is more expensive than just simple plain thing. One thing came to me as an interesting claim from one master is comparing detail of the lid of those two teapots ( lids are hand made. ).

In my very personal common sense, left one would be more expensive as more time and work involved into the smoothing the edges of the connection between the lid knob ( or actually the handle ) and the lid it self. And in fact , I personally like it more ( for now ). But I was explained that it requires more skilled master to make the right side lid to look as it is, because the any distortion of the geometry of the curved connection line is more visible than the smoothed one on the left. It’s like drawing a straight line without a ruler, with a narrow, sharp pencil or a thick brush. It does make a sense this way and I admit , I might appreciate details more later when dive deeper into the Yixing art.

Half and Full handmade teapots

As there are numerous articles and videos how to distinguish teapot production techniques we were very eager to see and hear that from the masters at the place where it all happens. One of them is already geared up for the full presentation so sits with us and passionately explaining the details on one piece of broken teapot.

The apparently first what to look is the bottom seam, the connection with the side wall of the teapot. That could be visible at the first glance. Well , next shop master told us, can do that line by tool even on machine made teapot. Second thing, is the same sort of seam but at the place where the handle is ( inside of the teapot ). When clay strip is formed and two ends meet at the back. Again, we are told that can be also achieved by tool in order to imitate full hand made work , and in fact, in full hand made teapots this line visibility is being reduced by maker as much as possible. The clay strip is folded in a circle shape and so it’s inner side start’s to wrinkle , like a human skin , for example. Those tiny wrinkles are visible also after firing the clay. Surprise surprise, yes, they can imitate that as well as the rough ridge inside of the rim of the opening. I don’t have a full spectrum of detailed images and pictures of the tools to cover all that topic but I don’t think it’s necessary. ” We can make it look as you request ” was the last sentence which convinced us to stop bothering and focus on clay quality, geometry of the teapot, good pour out and of course the price.

The chemicals

Yixing teapots are also known for additional coloring substances which some of can be very obvious and some not. There are some lab test option to determine it, but we haven’t met anybody in the town having such thing done. I wouldn’t believe any piece of paper ( the certificate. ) anyway , because I know how easy this can be done. From what we learned, I understand that buying very expensive teapot doesn’t guarantee no coloring or other chemicals added same as full handmade teapot or teapot from 80’s / 90’s, the very same era when massive production of 5y plan was above everything ( similar to puerh tea production when pesticides were highly applied ). As we were told , that clay goes trough the more than 1000C heat so why 100C hot water should dissolve anything. I don’t have any scientific proof to oppose this and only could come up with an idea that the actual water makes some reaction with certain chemicals to dissolve. Some masters laugh , some were angry that this is a rumor which harms their business. So I’ve stopped asking.

Idiots boil their teapot.

I’ve heard that later on from some makers as well. I’ve heard this told by a few makers: if 1000°C firing didn’t scorch it, 100°C hot water won’t boil it away either. The clay taste is the ID of Yixing teapot , so if you don’t like it, buy a porcelain or glass. They say , just wash your teapot out of the dust then start seasoning / using it. There is a common suggestion on various foreign tea dedicated forums to boil your new Yixing teapot and the claim like that would certainly bring extra fire to the discussion!

We were invited to lunch the next day at a local restaurant not exactly in town, but in a small village near Yixing. It’s a sparsely inhabited area with old houses, some of which have been reconstructed and repurposed into cafes and restaurants.

For the full heritage experience, we also decided to visit the local pottery museum. It’s a half-day activity, modest in size. Nearby, a few tourist shops offer tea and conversation where we are getting some more lecture about how it’s difficult , and sometimes pointless to bother with , distinguishing half hand made or full hand made teapot. At this stage I’m not bothered anymore, just listening what woman has to say and go with a flow. I can understand that “everyone here is a “master” with their experience and opinions , so I don’t struggle with finding the ultimate truth anymore.

For me , the most interesting part was the clay chart. Zi Ni, Hong Ni and Lu Ni. The Tuan Ni I’ve already posted above with article related.

I also took pictures of the rocks but because dimmed light in the room and glass reflection , the colors might not be precise.

I also wanted to visit the one-and-only famous F1—the Factory 1—but we learned that it’s now just tourist shops and some private makers renting the premises. So we moved on to F2—the Factory 2—which appears to be a heritage-preserved area. Quite disappointing. The original buildings are there, but instead of a pottery-making history museum, we found mainly local entertainment shops, coffee or tea spots. There was only one gallery showcasing contemporary artists, and a big screen in the main square advertising Yixing pottery culture. We met a local woman who set up a coffee shop, though the coffee comes from a machine. Siran tried it and found it surprisingly decent for machine-made coffee. I expressed my disappointment to the owner and asked why there isn’t at least a tea shop featuring pictures from the era when the factory was operating. She found the idea interesting, and I was surprised that a foreigner had to propose it ;D

On the final day, we explored a few more clay production sites, meeting another supplier, and after dinner that evening, we strolled along the local streets. We wandered into a shop that felt more like an antique atelier. Over tea with an elderly couple, I learned that the woman once worked at Factory 1. This visit yielded useful insights into teapot-making history and local craft lore. I inquired about the clay from Huan Long Shan, and the husband—who grew up at the mountain’s foot—remarked that if he had known decades ago how valuable the rock would become, he would have mined and stockpiled it. Back then, its use was primarily for daily workflows, not long-term storage. He also debunked many market claims we’d heard, such as “I have clay from the era when it was still easily accessible.”

They are very nice to us. Old man keeps pouring the tea, this time it’s not a sour Yixing Hong and his wife showing us various teapots which she made. Most of them are, of course, oversized for our needs, and the smaller ones hold little appeal for me. Their prices are, as expected, much higher than those from other masters we’ve visited, so I was trying to buy just one piece for myself. Eventually I was offered an item from the 1980s, I think, which would make a nice collectible if I actually understood what I’m holding. I mean, if I could verify its authenticity. Despite how kind and legitimate the people are, in business I’ve learned to trust my own knowledge rather than the sellers. My knowledge of antique teaware ranges from zero to nil, and after seeing some shops producing explicitly old looking teapots ( yes, producing , not collecting the real old ) , I certainly don’t feel confident about investing the high price they’re asking.

We have spent 3 full days in Yixing and I wouldn’t dare to claim we had grasped the whole complexity of the business there. Neither would state something like that we made some friend master who gives us some unique pieces for unique low prices. To the masters, makers, and vendors, we are simply a business. No matter how friendly conversations feel, we are viewed as customers, not as confidants. Thousands of people like us come and go each month, many with similar ideas about reselling teapots. Attaching personal bonds with a master as a marketing tactic would not be appropriate for us. You either don’t know what you’re doing or you understand the craft and source good teapots at fair market prices. For now, we sourced from a few different producers and see how it goes. If we manage to resell, other projects are already on the horizon. Same as with Jianshui , the first visit is only introduction to the place and products, the other following ones will be more productive. We gathered some valuable information and contacts for the future.

The next station is Jing De Zhen!