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Ancients Bowled Over by Teapots

Like most things, teapots were originally created of necessity, though their appearance in China more than 2,000 years ago at first caused little excitement because people were happy enough to drink their tea from bowls. But as the tea industry developed, and more and more people adopted the beverage as their favorite drink, teapots came into their own for their brewing efficiency and aesthetic attraction. Indeed, they became a major addition to the fine art of pottery which had already been around for centuries.

While tea--or rather the dubious brew acknowledged as its forerunner--was discovered and developed by King Shen Nung in 2737BC, teapots did not start to emerge until the start of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The earliest examples were made from the zisha (purple clay) found in the Yixing region. Pottery items, meanwhile, especially in the Yixing tradition, had been popular since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), enjoying high sales because of their fine texture and beautiful coloring. The transition by tea-drinkers from bowls to teapots was smooth. Zisha teapots were, and still are, used by some people to brew tea as well as act as a drinking vessel, where one sips directly from the spout. More generally, however, unglazed clay teapots were found to absorb the flavor of brewed tea, making them the top choice among tea lovers. While the move away from zisha pots gathered pace around China, their designs greatly influenced the form of unglazed teapots and, by extension, also prompted the development of hard-paste porcelain versions in the west.

While these changes are well documented, some Chinese scholars prefer to believe that while China provided Europe with its first tea around three centuries ago, Chinese people did not use teapots in those days. Instead they brewed tea directly in the cup, letting the leaves sink to the bottom before drinking.

Zisha teapots are still shaped by hand, without the aid of a potter's wheel or any modern production machinery. Because they are not glazed, new teapots are considered "raw". A pot's inside is sealed by it being filled with boiled old tea and water, which is left for three hours. Oils from the tea seal the pores of the fired clay. Some tea-masters insist that the old tea and water be left in the pot for a week, a recommendation that applies equally to cups and the pitchers used for the pouring of tea.