The shapes and forms of Yixing clay Teapots vary widely, with the saying that “squares are not uniform, circles have no identical form” in traditional terms. A good Teapot has each part rich in character; let's break down these parts to share the artistic life of a Yixing clay teapot:

In terms of structure, there is a distinction between the “main body” and “attachments” of a Yixing clay teapot.

The spout, lid, rim, neck, shoulder, belly, foot, base, spout, and handle are all parts relative to the whole of the teapot.

The center parts – lid, rim, neck, shoulder, belly, foot, base – are collectively referred to as the main structure of the Yixing clay teapot. The spout and handle, placed on either side, are known as attachments of the teapot's structure.

The basic shapes of the teapot body:

Spherical shape

Square shape

Cylindrical shape

Bowl-like shape

Bowl-like shape

Traditional styles of the teapot lid button (spout knob):

The lid button, also called “the knob,” is designed for lifting the lid. Common styles include spherical, arched, animal-shaped, gourd handle-shaped, tree stump-shaped, integral, etc. At the top or bottom side, most have a conical air hole that is larger inside and smaller outside.

Styles of the teapot lid:

The joining of the lid and rim can be by pressing, embedding, or cutting.

Pressed lid

Embedded lid

Cut lid

Styles of the Yixing clay teapot “spout”:

Styles of the spout nozzle:

The end of the spout where water flows out is called the “nozzle.” Common styles include flat, wrapped, and tongue-shaped nozzles.

Outlet holes:

The outlet holes at the tip of the Yixing clay teapot spout do not easily attract attention. Whether the water flows smoothly or not depends crucially on these holes. In early Yixing clay teapots, the outlet holes were often imagined to be single holes, but this was not entirely accurate. The outlet holes of Yixing clay teapots changed along with the development of Tea processing methods and drinking customs.

Single hole:

Initially, Yixing clay teapots had a single outlet hole, which could easily become blocked by tea leaves. However, by the late Ming dynasty at the latest, some Yixing clay teapots had coin-shaped outlet holes, though it is unclear why this style did not become widespread. It wasn't until the late Qing dynasty that Yixing clay teapots began to feature multiple outlet holes. During the Cultural Revolution, a batch of Yixing clay teapots was exported to Japan, and these export teapots had outlet holes designed as half-spherical mesh. This design prevented blockage when brewing leaf tea.

Spherical hole:

Mesh hole:

Today, slightly larger teapots have multiple outlet holes, but there is no unified standard, only personal preferences. Some people make the outlet holes into half-spherical mesh to show attention to detail.

Main styles of the teapot handle:

Vertical handle

Horizontal handle

Lug handle

Styles of the teapot base:

For a teapot to form a coherent whole, different parts must express the same, similar, or contrasting themes. The expression cannot be randomly assembled or done haphazardly.

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