The historical origin of the purple clay pot

The purple clay teapot originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. Initially, the production process was simple and it was mainly used for brewing and cooking tea. Archaeological evidence has confirmed that the fragments of purple clay wares unearthed at the ancient Longyao site in Yangjiaoshan of the Song Dynasty have the same characteristics as modern purple clay wares. The verses of Mei Yaochen, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, "Snow is stored in two purple clay jars, and poems are polished without flaws." and "The early taste lingers in the cold spring of small stones, and new purple clay wares are blooming with spring glory." as well as Ouyang Xiu's "I am glad to chant and drink with the purple clay cup. I envy your natural and unrestrained sentiment with leisure." all prove that purple clay tea sets had already appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty. Judging from the shapes of unearthed purple clay teapots, they are in line with the custom of "tea competitions" prevailing in the Song Dynasty.

In the Yuan Dynasty, purple clay craftsmen began to engrave inscriptions on purple clay teapots, which marked the progress of purple clay teapots from simple vessels to purple clay culture. However, there are no unearthed physical objects or handed-down works of purple clay teapots in the Yuan Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty was the first peak period for the development of purple clay teapots. According to records, Gong Chun was the first person to have handed-down works of purple clay teapots. In 1966, a purple clay teapot with a handle from the Ming Dynasty was unearthed in Nanjing. Its age is slightly earlier than that of Gong Chun's teapot, which is sufficient to prove that the production process of purple clay teapots in the Ming Dynasty was already very mature. After Gong Chun, the "four masters of teapot making" successively appeared during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and then there were many famous teapot makers. The masters integrated calligraphy, painting, engraving and other elements of traditional Chinese culture into the production of purple clay teapots, closely linking purple clay teapots with Chinese culture.

In the Qing Dynasty, the purple clay teapot art flourished further. Especially during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, there were many varieties and large quantities of purple clay teapots, and they also became tributes to the imperial family. Many purple clay teapot masters such as Chen Mingyuan emerged. Chen Mingyuan's plum-branch teapot is now in the Seattle Museum in the United States. Its unique shape is full of vitality.

During the period of the Republic of China, especially after the Japanese invasion of China, the purple clay teapot art was on the verge of extinction. At its bleakest time, there were only about twenty purple clay practitioners. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the purple clay industry gradually recovered and developed. After the 1970s, the purple clay industry entered a completely new historical period. Many purple clay masters emerged, and ordinary people became interested in purple clay teapots again. A purple clay teapot collecting craze emerged in places like Hong Kong.

Note: The picture shows the "Cloud-Shoulder Ruyi Pot" made by Gu Jingzhou.

 

Ups and downs during the period of the Republic of China.

In the early period of the Republic of China, the purple clay industry developed slowly. Later, it fell into a trough due to the chaos of war, and the number of practitioners sharply decreased.
Since the 1911 Revolution, in the early period of the Republic of China, Yixing's purple clay industry was still developing slowly. According to data recorded in 1919, at that time, the mountain-side residents in Shushan, Dingshan, Tangdu and Chuanbu areas of Yixing were all "making blanks at every household and pounding clay at every household". There were twenty-five kiln goods shops in the county and more than forty various pottery kilns. However, after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, Yixing's purple clay industry declined sharply. More than 600 factory buildings and private houses in the pottery-making areas of Dingshan and Shushan were destroyed, and twelve pottery kilns were completely destroyed. Before 1949, there were only more than thirty purple clay practitioners left.
During this period, some artisans made teapots in imitation of ancient styles. Some stores and companies also hired masters to make imitations and make them look old. Although there were negative impacts, it also promoted the development of purple clay.
During the period of the Republic of China, antique dealers in Shanghai asked some purple clay artisans such as Jiang Yanting, Wang Yinchun, and Gu Jingzhou to make some fake ancient teapots according to the pot styles recorded in ancient texts and adding their own designs to seek huge profits. The style of teapots in this period often had an affected meaning. But it is precisely because of these antique productions that the vision of purple clay has been broadened and the craftsmanship level of artisans has been improved. At the same time, purple clay teapot stores and companies sprang up rapidly in Wuxi, Shanghai and even abroad during this period, preparing for purple clay teapots to be presented in the global vision in a collective image.

Modern transformation

After the 1911 Revolution and before the Anti - Japanese War, Yixing's purple - clay industry experienced a process from prosperity to decline. The artistic level decreased, but a few artists still persisted in creation.

After the 1911 Revolution and before the Anti - Japanese War, Yixing's purple - clay industry was still developing slowly. However, with the sharp increase in the sales volume of purple - clay wares and to cater to the needs of domestic and foreign bourgeoisie and high - ranking officials and noblemen who had a love for antiques, the artistic level of purple - clay wares decreased significantly during this period. Nevertheless, a few artists still persisted in craftsmanship creation. For example, Cheng Shouzhen was good at making "duoqiu teapots" and antique - style purple - clay teapots and won certificates at the Panama International Exposition and the Chicago Exposition. Fan Dingfu was not only good at making purple - clay teapots but also proficient in purple - clay sculptures. His large - scale sculpture "Eagle" won a gold medal at the 1935 London International Art Exhibition.

During the Anti - Japanese War, the purple - clay industry was severely damaged and production was interrupted. Although there were signs of recovery after the war, it still faced a crisis of overall closure.

During the Anti - Japanese War, Yixing's purple - clay industry was severely hit. The factory buildings and civilian houses in the Dingshan and Shushan kiln - industry areas were destroyed, and the pottery kilns were converted into gun emplacements or blockhouses. At that time, the situation of Yixing's pottery industry was that "large kiln owners fled to other places, and small and medium - sized kiln owners had no intention of operating". The number of purple - clay teapots fired throughout the year was less than 1,000. In the early 1940s, there was a slight recovery, but the annual output value at most was only about 45 percent of the highest year before the war. When the Anti - Japanese War ended in 1945, there were still 64 pottery kilns in Yixing. But by 1949, at most only 46 kilns were in operation. 1948 was a relatively prosperous year for Yixing's pottery industry since the end of the Anti - Japanese War. A total of 2,740 kiln firings were made throughout the year, but this was only 58 percent of the output value in 1936. And the proportion of the purple - clay industry in the entire Yixing pottery industry also dropped from 22.2 percent in 1936 to 8.9 percent in 1945.

Note: The picture shows the "White Lotus Root Wine Set Pot" made by Jiang Rong.

Development after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the purple - clay industry gradually recovered and developed. Cooperatives were established and numerous purple - clay masters emerged.

 

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government allocated funds to support the recovery of the purple - clay industry. In 1954, Yixing established a purple - clay production cooperative, gathering many time - honored brands from the period of the Republic of China and highly - skilled craftsmen such as Zhu Kexin, Pei Shimin, and Wu Yungen. They passed on their precious techniques, laying the foundation for the development of the purple - clay industry. Subsequently, the descendants of the old craftsmen joined the industrial workforce one after another and received direct instruction from the older generation.

 

During the Cultural Revolution, purple - clay production was affected to some extent and the quality was rather rough.

 

During the Cultural Revolution, because the kiln - firing temperature was not high, around 800 - 900 degrees Celsius, the products were basically light in color and the clay bodies were relatively loose and dry. Purple - clay production was affected to some extent, but some works still survived.

 

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the clay materials were of high quality and developed quickly. From the mid - to - late 1980s to the early 1990s, there were mostly blended clays. After the mid - 1990s, purple - clay techniques have been continuously developed and innovated.

 

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, most of the clay materials during this period contained a large number of light - yellow particles, developed quickly, and were crystal - clear and transparent, which could be regarded as excellent. Some clay materials, in addition to a small amount of yellow particles, also contained a large number of fine black - sand - like particles. People in Taiwan call them "sesame sands". From the mid - to - late 1980s to the early 1990s, after 1985, there were mostly blended clays. Although they retained the breathable and crystal - clear characteristics of purple - clay soil, they lacked the originality of the authors in the clay body. The purple - clay bodies during this period were darker and turned dark purple after being soaked and maintained. In the mid - 1990s, the clay bodies during this period were hard and had beautiful colors, but the clay materials did not have the same texture as those in the 1980s. Purple clay was basically blended clay. Red clay was orange - yellow and dark - red; Duan clay was pink - yellow and green - yellow. From the late 1990s to the present, it is a springtime for purple - clay in contemporary times. Various techniques and ideas have flourished. With the development of national strength and science and technology, the refining methods and blending techniques of clay materials have reached an unprecedented level.