Yixing Teapots
Yixing's fame derives in part from the discovery of local deposits of an exceptionally refined stoneware clay. According to Chinese mythology, a strange monk who appeared in the Yixing village from a nearby temple was the first to discover and revealed the highly prized clay. The stoneware was found to keep the tea hotter than porcelain and the reddish brown pots became very popular in China because of their porous nature, which is excellent at absorbing
the flavor of tea. A Yixing pot requires some time to aquire a lining that's gives its own seasoned flavour to the tea. You should only use one type of tea in a Yixing teapot because of this and never wash it in soap and water.
Today, Yixing teapots are not actually made in Yixing, but in Dingshan - also known as Dingshu, which falls within the administrative area of
Yixing. It's a popular tourist destination for many Chinese and hundreds of teapot shops have sprung up to capitalize on the interest behind Yixing teapots. Truly authentic Yixing tea sets have become highly collectible and are a delight to own especially if an antique. It is however becoming increasingly difficult to find a nice China tea set as many Yixing teapots today are machine made and highly priced to appear genuine.
See our tea ware section for more information on Teapots.
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