As early as the Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that "small teapots are more valuable". Compared with the solemn and deep large teapots, small teapots are delicate, light and elegant, and are deeply loved by literati.
Nowadays, many purple clay teapot lovers also have a special liking for small and elegant works. Today, Tongxinshe Teahouse and tea friends share the "Ming Zhu Teapot" made by Teacher Hui Xiang Yun, which uses Da Hong Pao Zhu Ni and has a capacity of 120cc.
This teapot uses the finest Zhu Ni, Da Hong Pao Zhu Ni. It is produced in Zhaozhuang Mountain, Dingshan, Yixing, Jiangsu, and Huangyanxin, Huangshi. It is refined through multiple processes. The original Da Hong Pao ore is scattered in the Zhu Ni ore layer, and there is no separate ore layer. After the pure tender mud is weathered into Zhu Ni, it falls into the Zhu Ni ore layer under the action of external force, and then weathers for a long time to form the Zhu Ni "rock core". Zhu Ni has a high shrinkage ratio and a low yield rate, while Da Hong Pao has a shrinkage ratio of 30%, which is higher than Zhu Ni and almost three times that of Zi Ni. Due to its excellent viscosity, it is easy to stick to tools during production and difficult to shape. In addition, it is easy to wrinkle, crack, collapse, and deform during firing, and the yield rate is extremely low. The yield rate of this pot is only 60%. It is often encountered that all 5 pots in a kiln are cracked, and the scrap rate is high.
Usually, only a few taels of soil (tender mud or red mud) can be picked out from a few square meters of soil (tender mud or red mud) at the surface of a mine, so the mineral materials are extremely rare and precious, and are all priced by kilograms. And generally, a relatively primitive small stone mill is used to grind the powder, and it is manually mixed into mud, which can only be used after aging.
Teacher Hui Xiangyun is a member of the Shitao family and the 15th generation descendant of Hui Mengchen, a great teapot maker in the Ming Dynasty. He was born in Yixing in 1968. He learned to make teapots from his father since he was a child, and later studied under the Chinese ceramic art master He Daohong. He has a solid foundation, outstanding craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of purple clay. He is called "the folk purple clay master" by collectors. Jin Yong wrote the inscription "Hui Xiangyun Purple Clay Treasure" for him, and Master Qi Gong personally wrote "Xiangyun Teapot Art, Dare to Climb to the Top". Since the 1990s, he was worried about the over-exploitation of purple clay mines, and began to vigorously collect high-quality mines. At that time, he was nicknamed "the Tibetan Clay Old Man" by people in the industry. His works, whether in terms of material selection, modeling, or production technology, are remarkable and exquisite, without any trace of shoddy workmanship, and have a strong artistic appreciation and collection value.