Description
 
Yixing Zisha Ink Green Clay Pixiu Cut Square Xishi Teapot (230 ml)
 
This Zishi teapot is fully handmade using rare zisha Ink Green clay ( 墨綠泥 ). The beautiful blue color is created in the kiln by the high temperature of about 1150 degree Cel. The pot bodyis made into a cut corner square shape. A Pixiu (貔貅) is sitting on the top of the pot overlooking it territory (tea ceremony). Pixiu is a moscot in the ancient chinese time.
 
On one side of the pot, a summer bamboo branch is engraved with a red stamp marked. It states "清風雅韵" meaning light breeze bring elegance.
 
On the other side, there is a poem honoring Bamboo :
Poem:《咏竹》 (Bamboo)
Author: 傅庞如 (Fù páng rú)
破土凌云节节高，寒驱三九领风骚。
The shot breaking the gorund and rising up to the sky, cast away the chilliness
不流斑竹多情泪，甘为春山化雪涛。
The snow melts as tears nurturing the new born in the spring
 
Ink Green is produced in the Huanglong Mountain, Yixing, Jiangsu Province. It is produced at the bottom layer of the purple clay sediement ore. Its composition is extremely pure with very fine clay particles. The color is reddish brown. After the closure of Well No. 4 in Huanglongshan, there is an increasing shortage of base clay resources, and the weathered base clay is becoming more and more precious. The kiln temperature is about 1150 ° C, and the shrinkage ratio is about 12%. It is widely used in the famous pots of modern times. It pairs very well with raw /  ripe puerh, oolong tea (light roasted), black tea, green tea etc.
 
This teapot holds approximately 230ml (+/- 5ml) and features a flat filter and tight-fitting lid. The walls of this teapot are relatively thin, but it allows for a very stable and comfortable hand feel that has to be experienced to fully appreciate.
 
Zisha (‘purple sand’) describes the reddish-brown color of the sedimentary soil which settled in ancient lakes and is now buried deep underground. The clay is compressed under heavy sedimentary rock formations throughout the Yixing region, southwest of Shanghai, in China’s Jiangsu province. Huanglong Mountain near Dingshu township has been the source of high quality purple clay ore for centuries. The mountain itself is rather ordinary – neither grand or pretty – but it is 350 million years old.These teapots are prized because their unglazed surfaces absorb traces of the beverage and develop a patina, which enhances the taste, color and aroma of fine tea.