by Dingshu » Aug 11th, '11, 19:55
Some suggestions for a visit to Yixing/Dingshu:
1. Don't buy anything till you've spent a few hours there, at least. You'll see designs in the first few places that look attractive and appealing, but after you see them again and again in shop after shop they won't look so fresh. Take time to learn what's really fresh and what's widely copied.
2. Folks there appreciate Yixing ware and know its current value, which has appreciated a lot in recent years like most higher-end Chinese collectibles. Which is to say you don't go to Yixing to find bargains, you go because it offers a vast selection of Yixing ware. You also go because it's a great place to learn about Yixing pottery, even if you don't buy a thing. Some shopkeepers are indifferent, but others really enjoy talking about it and showing you what to look for. In fact, the best way to learn about the piece you just bought -- and are still very proud of -- is to show it to another shopkeeper, who usually won't hesitate to point out everything you missed when you bought it. If you want to chat with shopkeepers, best to go during the week, not during weekends when city folks from Shanghai and Nanjing tend to flood in.
3. The shops all look alike after a couple of hours, and it can be difficult to find the place that has that teapot you saw earlier. Use your digital camera to record shopfronts.
4. Don't forget that Yixing is more than teapots. While the fancy shops tend to deal only in teaware, the dumpier places often have some interesting other stuff. Further, feel free to explore Dingshu. Remember that in China, you can generally poke your head in just about anywhere, so long as the gate's not locked. If you're really not supposed to be there, somebody'll just shoo you off. No problem!
5. Money. It's hard to be of much help here. A few places follow the old Chinese tradition of quoting a price many times in excess of what they'll accept, others quote more or less reasonable prices amenable to small discounts. Basically, you have to somehow know in advance what the teapot you want to buy is really worth, or there's a fairly good chance you'll pay too much. Likewise when it comes to fakes, seconds and such: the responsibility -- by Chinese tradition -- is yours as buyer to discover any problems; the seller won't feel it's his responsibility to tell you about that hairline crack which is, after all, perfectly visible if you look really, really close under the handle.
6. As you probably know, Yixing the city, while it has a few pottery shops, isn't your final destination. You want the village on the outskirts variously known as Dingshu or Dingshan. There's public transport, but it'd probably be easiest to take a cab if you're not familiar with the area. If you're going with a guide, the guide will get a kickback later from the shops, and the guide may steer you to places that pay the largest kickbacks.
I have never been there before, so I was wondering whether any of you has been there and if you'd have suggestions about where to go/where not to go (I can imagine there might be overpriced places for tourists and other places for locals, maybe away from the main streets).
