Yixing vs Jianshui Teapots & Teaware: Differences & Similarities
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- When getting into gongfu brewing, Chinese tea, teapots and the like, there are 2 clays you’re most likely to hear about. Yixing zisha and Jianshui zitao. We won’t get into which clay is better or worse for your tea, as that’s a long, subjective discussion for another time. We will, however, go over some of the primary differences between the two.
Geography, Composition:
To start, the sources for these clays are quite far apart. The town of Yixing, where zisha comes, is located close to the East coast of China, on the edge of Tiahu lake. Meanwhile Jianshui, the home of zitao, is a small town located in the southwest province of Yunnan, not far from the border with Vietnam. With thousands of km between these 2 sources, there are bound to be differences in mineral composition as well.
Exact mineral compositions can be a bit difficult to compare, as Yixing zisha has many sub-categories that have their own variation
But both clays are high in iron and produce a wide range of colours.
Yixing Zisha can include red zhuni, purple zini, white, yellow or brown duanni, orange jiangponi and many other subcategories.
Similarly, zitao ore has five common colours, which when mixed into a clay generally fall into white clay and red clay. The final colour of teapot made from red clay can vary depending on the oxidization level, ranging from red to black.
Another major compositional difference between them is the grain density, with zisha having a lower grain density than the more refined zitao. This aspect also affects the durability and structural strength of the final product.
Construction Methods
This difference in grain density leads to the next point: how they’re made.
The traditional handmade methods for these types of clay are quite different. Jianshui zitao is almost always hand thrown and wheeled. Yixing zisha, on the other hand, is typically slab-built. This means flat pieces of zisha are hand formed into the shape of a teapot, either entirely by hand or with the assistance of a mold to make the process more consistent and a bit easier.
There can be exceptions to this, but these are the traditional and typical methods.
Since Jianshui clay has to be wheeled, it’s unusual to find any square shaped pots or sharp angles on them.
Yixing teapots, however, can be formed into round, square, or just about any other shape imaginable.
Firing Temperatures
Both clays are fired at high temperatures, however, the range can differ. As we already mentioned, Yixing zisha has quite a few subcategories of clays. These clays come from different areas or layers in the mine and due to their own compositions can require different firing temperatures, which range from 1000 - 1200 celsius. The firing temperature affects not only the final colour of the teapot, but the porosity as well.
Jianshui zitao, however, has a much tighter firing range, at 1120-1180 Celsius.
Price Differences & Scarcity
Pricewise, teapots made from either of these clay can be affordable or luxuriously expensive, based on a number of factors.
When it comes to Jianshui zitao, the price range is a little bit tighter. Jianshui teapots don’t reach as low a price as some mass produced “Yixing” teapots due to the difficulty in developing an industrialized methods of processing of clay. This is also a positive as it means buying a Jianshui teapot means getting Jianshui clay.
On the high end, both clays can fetch a pretty penny depending on the artistry and workmanship. The more developed industry in Yixing takes it to another level though, with some potters being recognized as nationally famous artists and pushing their work into the 10s of thousands of USD.
Clay scarcity is another factor that comes into play. While resources for Jianshui clay are far from being exhausted, most of the original mines for Yixing clay have been closed or heavily restricted. Fortunately many Yixing potters still hold a sizeable cache of these sought after clays, but the limited availability still makes them more precious
This is merely a brief summary of some of the differences and similarities, certainly non-exhaustive. All of these differences can be explored much deeper, which we hope to do in the near future.
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So clear and so chic! Hope you guys are keeping well in the midst of everything!
Many thanks! We're hanging in there, finding time to make new videos while we ride this out :)
Yooo this is amazing. Keep it up!
🙏🙏🙏
Immaculate video!! Thank you so much friend!
My pleasure!
More of these videos would be fantastic!
Duly noted! We'll try to expand on these
@@BitterleafTeas high production value and aesthetic tea videos are sorely lacking on UA-cam!
@@somedude2748 We're flattered, and now motivated too! 🙏
Great video!
Thank you! :)
That was wonderful thank you.
Very nice👌✨ Definitely I will love to see more of this videos.
🙏 I think we'll have to try to make more then!
Your production is amazing. Very informative.
Many thanks!
I just wanted to have a food-grade clay teapot, the artistry and how it was made comes second😅
We Chinese basically use YiXing pots, Jian Shui is really lessen known stuffs. I need to find out more.
Jianshui is certainly less famous and less common than Yixing, but it's been developing quite a bit more over the years. A lot of potters and makers from Yixing are now lending their expertise in Jianshui which has also helped.
any difference between the white and purple jianshui clay pots when picking/pairing with matching tea types? are both suitable for the same teas, or is the minerality of the clay different?
They're actually quite similar, from what we can tell. The main differences are cosmetic. The white clay tends to shrink a bit more during firing, but all colours seem quite dense and tend to interact with the tea in the same way. The main reason I would consider one tea over another for white Jianshui clay is that it will stain. So darker teas will require more wiping down or you'll have to accept that it won't be a "white" pot for very long!
Hi where do you get your teapot featured at your video on 0:06? It is very nice
That's a pot we used to sell way back in 2017, but they became difficult to restock eventually.
Love the storm trooper Jian shui (?) dragon egg tea pot. Do you guys sell them or have them made especially?? 😄😄
Thanks! Unfortunately we have to consider that custom made fan art... can't sell it without being in big trouble 😉
Is the way the teapots pour (smooth laminar flow vs turbulent flow) one of the determining factors of a high quality vs low quality teapot?
Some people will use this as a criteria for judging a teapot, pouring from high up and observing the stream. This can be an indicator of craftsmanship, but is also affected by the teapot shape/style. In reality though, nobody pours from that high - it's usually only just above the gongdaobei, so it's not the most important thing to us. The main factor that will affect the tea in your cup is the rate of flow.
But overall yes, more expensive pots made with attention to detail should have a smoother pour.
I wonder if they ever use clays from different parts of the world
I don't think much clay is imported into China to make teapots, but I imagine there are sources of clay in other countries that have similar properties.
@@BitterleafTeas You already know this, but for others' reference, a good example would be Tokoname in Japan!
Do you know where I buy the tools to make these teapots? Some sites I found don't look it has the quality of tools as the professional teapot makers. I.e mallet
I think Yixing would probably be the best place to buy tools for slab making pots. I can't recall seeing anything anywhere else. Perhaps there's a shop on Toabao that has them? Otherwise you might have to improvise a bit!
Can just ask some woodworker to make it for you
Excuse me they MANUALLY shape their teapots??
Yeah
@@BitterleafTeas that is impressive as hell. How they had the patience to learn that is beyond me
@@plantmage9850 It's beyond me as well. I think with practice they get quite proficient, but it takes a lot of skill.
Professional stunt gaiwan X'D
Do not try this at home⚠️
wow. how superficial.
It can definitely always go (a lot) deeper, but that would be a longer/different video. If you have any interesting details related to zisha/zitao we didn't cover and think we should, please share!
i just got a red clay tea set from a used shop, but am having trouble identifying it. i only really found etsy or ebay listings of the same set with differing art for wildly differing prices. also baseless claims on rarity, and age. any idea how i can identify my set? i know its going to be a cheap set, and no more than 40-50 years old. i know its thrown on a wheel as i can see evidence of that in the pot.
great video!
Thanks!