Need help to identify zhuni clay purity

[Salsero]

chrl42--

This is a bit off topic, but where does your fascinating avatar come from? It looks like a design drawing for a teapot.

[Space Samurai]

That is quite a difficult question. If the teapot is cheap, it is definitively not good zhuni. But if it is expensive it doesn't mean it is good zhuni...

I think that can be applied to almost things Tea.

[chrl42]

This is a bit off topic, but where does your fascinating avatar come from? It looks like a design drawing for a teapot.

Thanks for your interest. It's called zui qiu hu(speared sphere). Meaning 3 balls are speared in a row. You can notice from my avatar too.
Every yixing teapot has its names followed by its design pattern.
There are sui ping hu, fang qui hu, liu fang hu and many, many more..
If I have a time, I will add more information on zishahu sometime.

Yixing teapot can be classified as big 2.
One is designed as geomatric-wise
The other is designed as shape of nature(fruit, tree, flower and so on)

There are over 500 certificated yixing crafter in China.
Every crafter has levels.
Top 6 masters(or more)' yixing teapots are sold over 100,000 USD in China.

Back to topic,
zui qiu hu is one of most classic pattern dating back to 18C. Designed by Xiao Da Heng, one of most acclaimed yixing crafters in China. Second it was Zeng Sou Zen whose zui qiu hu got the first or second place in international awards.

Xiao Da Heng's


Zeng Sou Zen style'

[betta]

Chrl42, that's a lot of information. Could you please share more, I believe many are interested in knowing this thema and also the original yixing clay and how to differentiate a good pot from bad ones.
I don't wish the pot to be made by the famous yixing factory 1 or 2, but at least if it is real zhuni, I'm already satisfied

Space, I'm afraid I can't fully agree with that cause I know at least one experienced collector acquire couple of afforadble old pots which turned out to be good pots. I agree with Hop's opinion, some old pots are made of a better clay than new pots, even though their price could be lower.

My latest acquisition is of a 'not at all economic' price range that drives me to sell my other 60's pot bought from Houde, but that's because I'm too 'stupid' >-< unable to differentiate affordable good from bad old pots in the market. In fact, some guys who bought from an E-bay seller 5000-friend did get good old pots with quality far better than new modern pots at lower price. But to buy this way, needs lots of knowledge and experience, I believe Chrl42 and Hop have the capacity to pick decent pots out of the 'pots in the market'.

[chrl42]

Chrl42, that's a lot of information. Could you please share more, I believe many are interested in knowing this thema and also the original yixing clay and how to differentiate a good pot from bad ones.
I don't wish the pot to be made by the famous yixing factory 1 or 2, but at least if it is real zhuni, I'm already satisfied

Space, I'm afraid I can't fully agree with that cause I know at least one experienced collector acquire couple of afforadble old pots which turned out to be good pots. I agree with Hop's opinion, some old pots are made of a better clay than new pots, even though their price could be lower.

My latest acquisition is of a 'not at all economic' price range that drives me to sell my other 60's pot bought from Houde, but that's because I'm too 'stupid' >-< unable to differentiate affordable good from bad old pots in the market. In fact, some guys who bought from an E-bay seller 5000-friend did get good old pots with quality far better than new modern pots at lower price. But to buy this way, needs lots of knowledge and experience, I believe Chrl42 and Hop have the capacity to pick decent pots out of the 'pots in the market'.

Like I said before, I am by no means any closer to an expert. I feel there are many, many chinese who really are. Yet how it is introduced to western world is just tip of an iceburg. Blame it on communism, what we really know about China might be just how we misunderstood.
Tea is huge to the chinese more than I thought. There is tea university in China and each block has tea store. Tea market such as Ma Lien Dao has 10 districts and each building has escalater. It's easy to say you can't spend a day just to look for teas.

Yixing teapot is an art form to the Chinese along with blue-and-white porcelain.
Like I said before, I have very limit of knowledge but I would love to share with little I have.

[bagua7]

I'd like to reveive this topic by saying that our Western knowledge of Cha Dao is, as chrl42 already mentioned, only the tip of an iceberg. Even the Chinese today (thanks to Mao) have a little understanding of that art including Traditional Chinese Culture which is as vast and rich as the Universe itself.