A handcrafted purple clay Teapot involves numerous hours of silent dedication. Some may casually mention a Purple Clay Teapot, but the effort behind it is far from simple. It's no exaggeration to say there are over a hundred steps involved! From preparing the clay sheets to firing, and from engraving to finishing, crafting a purely handmade teapot takes around two to three days, with several more days needed for the finished product. If carving is added, the process becomes even more complicated. If you're interested, take a serious look!

The clay bench and tools used in making the teapot come in various sizes and shapes.

For a fully handmade teapot, following strict standards, approximately one hundred and twenty tools are required. An excellent teapot maker must be able to name these tools and their uses and create them. These many tools need to be utilized one by one during the teapot-making process, contributing to the creation of a perfectly shaped piece.

1. **Paddling (Paddling Sheets, Paddling Strips, Paddling the Body)**: The first step in making a teapot is to prepare the clay by paddling sheets, strips, and then the body. After processing the clay, the maker starts by paddling the clay sheets and strips, and then forms the body. The prepared clay strips and base pieces are paddled to the required thickness and diameter using a wooden tool. Paddling sheets and strips is referred to as ‘paddling.' According to the standard, the number of paddlings required is specified, and the necessary thickness of the sheet must be achieved. When paddling the strips, the middle and both ends must maintain consistent thickness. This basic skill requires a beginner to learn for about three months, requiring patience, perseverance, and a willingness to endure hardship. A teacher can tell the apprentice's level of discipline just by listening to the sound of the wooden paddle.

(Paddled clay strips, cut to size, and seals stamped)

2. **Coiling (Coiling the Body, Coiling the Neck)**: After the clay strips are paddled, the base pieces are prepared. The coiled pieces are placed on a turntable, and the strips are coiled and joined together. Coiling determines the direct dimensions of the teapot, after which the body is formed, the base is sealed, and the base piece is attached. Then, the neck is formed, and the rim piece is attached, completing the initial outline of the teapot.

(Clay strips coiled and ready to be shaped)

3. **Rolling (Rolling the Body)**: Once the outline of the teapot is complete, a wooden roller is used to roll out the precise shape of the teapot. Wooden rollers made from cypress or jujube wood are preferred; in recent years, redwood has also been used. For forming the body, a cypress wood roller is ideal, followed by a jujube wood roller. The thickness, size, and material of the roller, as well as its firmness, density, lightness, and weight, all matter. Cypress and jujube wood rollers are suitable for forming the body.

(Roughly shaped, then rolled using a tool)

4. **Smoothing (Smoothing the Body, Smoothing the Lid)**: A tool made from bamboo, known as a smoothing tool, is used to smooth and shape the teapot body. Utilizing the natural curve of the bamboo, the tool is finely crafted with a chisel and file to match the external contour line of the teapot body. During use, the teapot body is placed on a wooden turntable, and the smoothing tool is used to drag and press the body clockwise, ensuring that the surface is smooth and regular. It must also achieve the desired line shape. Typically, several smoothing tools are needed for one teapot, depending on the maker's understanding of the design. Each teapot requires its own set of smoothing tools, which should be made by the maker themselves. After decades of making Teapots by hand, a maker accumulates hundreds of these tools. Such an accumulation is not widely understood unless a collector visits Yixing and directly interacts with a purple clay artisan.

(At this stage, the shape is entirely dependent on the maker's understanding and control of the design)

5. **Kneading (Kneading the Spout, Kneading the Handle)**: Pre-prepared clay for the spout and handle is kneaded into the initial shape by hand, using the palm to control the thickness, size, and length. The shape is then bent accordingly. Experienced artisans can shape the spout and handle in one go, achieving harmony with the body and imbuing it with spirit.

6. **Attaching (Attaching the Spout, Attaching the Handle)**: In local Yixing dialect, this refers to attaching the prepared spout and handle to the teapot body.

(Attaching the spout, handle, and foot, with attention to the coordination of the three points in a line)

7. **Refining (Refining the Spout, Refining the Handle)**: After attaching the spout and handle, a bamboo knife and then an iron knife are used to add more clay and ensure a smooth and seamless connection between the spout/handle and the body. This is a crucial step in the teapot-making process, requiring the maker to have a clear vision, keen eye, and skilled hands. The quality and spirit of the teapot can be clearly seen from this step.

(The connection of the spout and handle, too much makes it bulky, too little makes it thin, the eye is very important)

8. **Making the Lid, Domes (Doming the Lid Top)**: After the lid board is formed, the dome-shaped lid piece is placed on a specialized dome-forming tool. The palm is used to gently dome the lid to achieve the desired arch. Cylindrical (Cylindrical Lid Top): The domed lid is placed on the lid board and secured with slip. Then, a lid-top smoothing tool is used to form the desired lid contour.