Crackpot ideas and half-formed theories about Yixing pottery

[Drax]

Tingjunkie had a great idea, so here we go.... please discuss to your heart's desire, or feel free to send people to this thread when other discussions go off-track...!

[brandon]

Thanks Drax!



A lot of "cracked" going around lately!

[Acaelus]

Make sure to c-14 date that pot

[tingjunkie]

Y'all are too much. That pot ain't the only thing cracking up right now.

By the way... did you guys hear that all the real Yixing clay was used up back in the 80's? Some oil sultan from Djibouti had a whole palace built with it all. True story.

[Acaelus]

And all the modern zhu ni suck !

[chrl42]

Yixing clay has no.4 mine (Factory-1 clay), no.5 mine/Taixi (used up during 8~90's), Bao mt. (near Qinglong mt.), these are what they call Huanglong mt. clay, Yixing clay. Indeed there are differences from nowadays' new clays.

They are seasoned faster, softer and get along well with tea pairing. Also color tends to be brighter with brewing, Chinese call it water color..the clay is nisha, mud/sand together, mud being delicate texture and sand being 'bone' to the clay, this match helps to perform yixing clay's double porosity. If a clay is pure mud, it won't be porous, will be like porcelain when crystallized..Zhuni is high-quality mud. If it's pure sand, it will mute the flavor a bit..

No.4 mine is in the basement. Trait is many irons, often numerous black iron dots are shown which you cannot sense it with a finger. Dense and a bit heavy.

No.5 mine/Taixi mine were found after no.4 mine. Whereas most of no.4 mines were used up or owned by ex-Factory-1 workers, these are still owned and sold by private or some clay manufacter like Huanglongyuan. Characteritics are similar to no.4 mine but bit lighter and more clearly processed since they were mined later.

Bao mt. clays have been used since Ming dynasty. Trait is particles are very colorful. Like orange or red clays can be found along with base clay.

Then how do you can discern if it's Huanglong mt. clay? Try to know its sources. Like I said, most of no.4 mine clays are in hand of few Factory-1 workers, who now became famous masters. If some studio or potter uses Huanglong mt. clay, it'd rather be no.5 mine, Taixi or Bao mt. clay. They'd rather make special pots because Huanglong mt. clays are more expensive than new clays.

[teaisme]

great info thanks!

[tingjunkie]

great info thanks!

Yes, thanks chrl42. (And I hope you realized I was joking in my above comment!)

[AdamMY]

By the way... did you guys hear that all the real Yixing clay was used up back in the 80's? Some oil sultan from Djibouti had a whole palace built with it all. True story.

I heard to season the clay, he has a contract to get all of the tea produced from the original DHP bushes, and has servants brewing giant batches of tea with which they paint his palace.

[Acaelus]

By the way... did you guys hear that all the real Yixing clay was used up back in the 80's? Some oil sultan from Djibouti had a whole palace built with it all. True story.

I heard to season the clay, he has a contract to get all of the tea produced from the original DHP bushes, and has servants brewing giant batches of tea with which they paint his palace.

They brew in a giant Gaiwan, yes?

[chrl42]

great info thanks!

Yes, thanks chrl42. (And I hope you realized I was joking in my above comment!)

I was goofin around at friend's house..surfing Teachat then I saw somethin Yixing clay was gone in 80's..

I had to practice my English again..my mum didn't use up all that money to send me to America for all this ..true story.