Zhuni Clay

[oolongtimenosee]

We do our best to answer some of the questions we’re often asked about Zhuni Teapots in Part 1 of 2 blog posts on the topic. You can read the first part here:

https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-1
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[12Tea]

Nice post! Lots of interesting facts. I didn't know that zhuni would shrink more. Does this mean it's also more dense and less breathable?

[RobWarren]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[DongbeiRenr]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

[Bok]

Still very much extinct

[oolongtimenosee]

Nice post! Lots of interesting facts. I didn't know that zhuni would shrink more. Does this mean it's also more dense and less breathable?

Yes. It is closer to porcelain than zini or duanni as far as porosity.

[oolongtimenosee]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading

[oolongtimenosee]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

Check out Part 2:
https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-2

[Zared]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

Check out Part 2:
https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-2

100% zhuni pots for $100? Rare clay but low demand so its inexpensive?

[Bok]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

Check out Part 2:
https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-2

100% zhuni pots for $100? Rare clay but low demand so its inexpensive?

Yeah. Conveniently every vendor who sells Zhuni has one of those sources who have still access to Zhuni clay...

Similar story with the now almost all closed Dayuling farms...

[oolongtimenosee]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

Check out Part 2:
https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-2

100% zhuni pots for $100? Rare clay but low demand so its inexpensive?

It's the true retail market rate.
If you consider that in the 1990s Yixing teapots sold for a couple of yuan (these are the much-hyped F1 teapots and 90s teapots) and now the starting retail rate in China is 600 yuan give or take, this is still a huge increase in value.
When you pay $99 for the teapots you see on our website you are paying a fair retail rate for the clay. The teapots are half-handmade and not by a master, so there is little added cost aside from the clay itself. $99 for a thin-walled pure zhuni teapot, half-handmade and not made by a master. This is what consumers should expect to pay.
Now, when you see zhuni teapots selling for $300-600, and they are half-handmade, and not by a famous artist, then you are paying an inflated price. Unfortunately the retail rate outside of China is often greatly inflated compared to what you could expect to pay in the domestic market. We are proud to say that we charge the same retail rate as paid by Chinese consumers. We receive a wholesale rate and sell at the Chinese retail price.

[oolongtimenosee]

I look forward to your guys’ take on the whole “Zhuni is long extinct” thing.

Check out Part 2:
https://www.mudandleaves.com/blog/yixing-zhuni-part-2

100% zhuni pots for $100? Rare clay but low demand so its inexpensive?

Yeah. Conveniently every vendor who sells Zhuni has one of those sources who have still access to Zhuni clay...

Similar story with the now almost all closed Dayuling farms...

If you read the article, you would know that we never claimed to have a special supply. Zhuni is still being mined, and much of it is still sitting around aging.

Many trusted studios, including some of the most respected studios in Yixing still make zhuni teapots. They are able to make them precisely because zhuni is still available in the market. No special "sources" required.

Rare is a relative term. Zhuni makes up only a small percentage of zisha, but there is a lot of zisha in Yixing, both above and below the ground.

[FBee]

Many trusted studios, including some of the most respected studios in Yixing still make zhuni teapots. They are able to make them precisely because zhuni is still available in the market. No special "sources" required.

Rare is a relative term. Zhuni makes up only a small percentage of zisha, but there is a lot of zisha in Yixing, both above and below the ground.

Demand in China is huge. Anything relatively rare is still usually very expensive, especially as the buying power of collectors in China are much deeper than your average tea freak in the West. All together, low prices do not make sense for what is considered a premium clay...

Totally differen place, but I got a friend who went to see Chaozhou potters, he is a potter himself, and they scrapped up every bit of clay to reuse, that is how precious the resources are becoming in some areas.

Another fact. Zhuni can never be 100% in a teapot. Plasticity is not enough that way. Zhuni is always blended to an extent. Check this thread here: viewtopic.php?t=20765

[oolongtimenosee]

Demand in China is huge. Anything relatively rare is still usually very expensive, especially as the buying power of collectors in China are much deeper than your average tea freak in the West. All together, low prices do not make sense for what is considered a premium clay...

Hi there,
Do you have a number to illustrate the demand and supply for Zhuni in China or to compare it to other precious goods?
I never thought I would have to justify selling teaware at a reasonable price.
I wonder if you have heard of 九翰 Jiuhan?
This is a premium brand for Yixing Teaware in the industry. One of the most respected large studios making Yixing teapots today. They are a more expensive brand with an excellent reputation. They make Zhuni Teapots that begin at 1500 RMB, around $220 USD. So, yes, our teapots are cheaper than Jiuhan’s, but the price reflects the fact that we are sourcing from a smaller studio and not a premium brand. $220 for a decent zhuni half-handmade teapot from a premium branded studio will give you an idea of how rare and how in demand the clay is in China. Rare compared to zini, yes, but it's not dahongpao either.

Another fact. Zhuni can never be 100% in a teapot. Plasticity is not enough that way. Zhuni is always blended to an extent. Check this thread here: viewtopic.php?t=20765

Sounds like you may be thinking of how Xiaomeiyao Zhuni was used. In the past this zhuni was mixed with other zisha to increase the plasticity of the other clay.

Zhuni can be used 100% in a teapot. The ore is mixed with water, but aside from that, it isn't necessary to mix it with other zisha if you have good ore. Of course many potters do use zhuni mixed with other zisha to give them the character they want in the clay. Again, we maintain that there is nothing necessarily wrong with this, it depends on personal preference. Both kinds are safe to use and are part of the process for using zhuni.

Here is a book I recommend for anyone interested in Yixing teapots. This is used as a guidebook for the Yixing zisha industry. I don’t know if it’s available in English or not, but this is one of the books we use to support our claims in the article. It’s really worth a read if you’re interested in the subject. It's called 阳羡茗砂土

[FBee]

There seems to be a disparity between most vendors who will insist on having real Zhuni and the majority of independent collectors or experts mostly stating that real Zhuni clay is very rare and ergo expensive. All this is common knowledge and it seems unlikely to me that information to the contrary would not be more wide spread if it were true.

Rare due to:
1. the scarcity of the material itself.
2. the high rate of loss in production due to the difficulty in firing the clay with its high shrinkage rate.

We also know that nowadays we can not say for sure what is in any given clay out of China.
Which is the main reason why people hunt for the old factory pots, even though the workmanship is not as good as on many of the modern pots. At least we know for sure that there are no possibly hazardous additives in the older clays.

Today the only indication is a certain price range - not for certain of course as there are over priced pots everywhere - but at least more likely than a pot for 20 USD.

Not saying you are selling bad pots, just might not be what you think it is, which is ok as the price is not high, so I would not expect it to be either.