2000s Dicaoqing & Tianqingni Museum Grade Kyusu Style (急須式)

What you are seeing in these fascinating pots are two samples of the iconic "clay varietals" (泥種) from the industry of Yixing. If you have been indulging yourself in the world of Yixing clay long enough, the names "Dicaoqing" (底槽青) and "Tianqingni" (天青泥) will definitely be familiar to you. In fact, these two particular clay varietals are so famous that, if you just typed these two names in your web browser's search bar, you would see numerous results pop up, showing the popularity of these two classical clays among connoiseurs of the Yixing industry. 

The brown clay you see here is made from 100% pure Dicaoqing clay. "Dicaoqing" refers to a specific category of a Zini (Purple Clay) ore that was mined at Yixing, its Chinese name literally meaning "the green at the bottom of the trench." This type of ore contains particularly dense and evenly distributed "Original Mountain Green Mud" (本山綠泥), a type of precious Zisha ore that turns into a white color when fired at the right temperature. It also has a more sandy character compared to Qingshuini (清水泥). The granularity of the ore makes it trickier to craft, and so it is a clay both loved and hated by craftsmen at the same time. 

The green clay you see here is made of 100% pure Tianqingni. This name literally means "Sky Green" (天青), describing the color of the clay as you can see. The intriguing part about the name is that some of the final products of Tianqingni could actually be fired into "grey" or even "blue-ish" colors, however the product would still be classified as "Sky Green Clay." This is because the kiln atmosphere can cause huge differences in the final appearance of the clay. Another intriguing property of this clay is that the final, fired product will manifest subtly perceptible color changes under different light tone or temperatures, and those colors are exactly shifting between grey, blue, and green. The photo shown here is a green tone, but when you hold it in your own hands, you might call it blue or even grey depending on the lighting environment you are in.

A final point worth noting point is the addition of Duanni (段泥) sand blended into the Tianqingni material. This extra step gives the clay another texture of enjoyment when tea is being poured and savoured. 

These Japanese Kyusu (急須) style teapots were both made in the 1990s as sampler pieces for visitors to the Yixing Ceramics museum. They served as innovative demonstrations of what could be done by artists in the institution, so both the material selection and craftsmanship are impeccable. This is why the wooden handle feature was applied, boldly introducing a type of aesthetic uncommon in the Yixing area. 

Both teapots, thanks to their refined and exclusively-obtained early material will bring the same enjoyment and delicacy as the "Chu Fang" we have recently offered. We hope these rarely made pieces will not only bring you the most enjoyable experience of tea, but most importantly a timeless, artistic icon in your teaware collection.  

Mineral: Dicaoqing or Tianqingni / 底槽青 或 天青泥

Mineral Location: Huang Long Mountain Mine #4 or Dingshan Taixi Mine/ 黃龍山四號井 或 丁山鎮 台西礦區

Firing Temperature: 1180 c or 1100 c  / 仟佰捌拾 或 仟佰度

Contrast Rate: 12% or 14%/ 分之 拾貳 或 分之 拾肆

Bottom Stamp: China Yixing Ceramics Museum Made /  中國宜陶博物館紫藝中心製

Volume: 220 ml / 貳佰廿 毫升