A “canonical” teapot made in the 1970s, during the second half of the “early period” of the 1st Yixing Factory’s operation. At that time, the best Yixing clay available was used. The use of this clay was one of the key factors that defined the “early period” (1958-1977) as a distinct era, setting it apart from the later stages of the factory’s work.

At that time, the red Yixing clay (Hong Ni) was mined from the Zhao Zhuang deposit and was completely depleted by 1977. This clay is considered the benchmark—the best for brewing tea. It allows you to extract the maximum from the tea, revealing all its strengths and weaknesses. The only competitor to it might be the Yixing Lao Zhu Ni clay, which ran out even earlier, at the beginning of the 20th century.

After the closure of the Zhao Zhuang deposit, the factory switched to red clay from other Yixing deposits, which differed in composition and was significantly inferior in quality. Starting from the 1980s, iron oxide was added to the clay mixture to enhance its color, along with plasticizers and preservatives to shorten the preparation time of the clay for use. This is because the freshly mined clay needs to “rest” for several years to gain plasticity; without this, cracks and deformations can occur during firing. This teapot was made in the 1970s, during the second half of the factory’s “early period.” At that time, the clay was slightly less refined than in the 1960s, so you can see more small black specks on the teapot. These are natural inclusions of tiny iron oxide ore particles that appear during firing. However, all experts agree that this has no effect on the quality of brewing.

Overall, throughout its existence, the 1st Yixing Factory moved toward increasing production volumes, which significantly affected the quality of its products. From the very beginning, the masters used a semi-handmade production method, where special templates and molds facilitated and sped up the work. This method is still used by most workshops in Yixing today. In the 1950s-60s, the masters paid more attention to the products, refining the shape of the teapot by hand to meet the required standard. Traces of this hand-finishing are clearly visible on early teapots, which look more refined than teapots from later periods. In the 1970s, the masters put in slightly less effort than before, so teapots from this period differ only subtly from earlier ones, with slightly rougher lines. The difference is actually subtle and can only be noticed by those with some experience.

This teapot is of the “Shui Ping” standard form, chosen by the chief master and founder of the factory, Gu Jingzhou, as the base shape, which made it the most popular form for decades. The teapot has a capacity of 150 ml, or “12 cups” according to Taiwanese classification. This is the largest size among the standard ones. Larger teapots were made in smaller quantities and have not preserved as well to this day, so they are usually more expensive than smaller teapots.

On the bottom of the teapot, there is a four-character stamp like “中國宜興 / Zhong Guo Yixing” 6:4, which is typical for teapots from the 1970s.

This teapot can not only become a true “star” of your collection but also an ideal tool for unlocking the tea’s full potential, an indispensable companion on your journey through the “tea universe.”