Description
 
Yixing Zisha Base Clay Herding Boy Teapot (270ml)
 
This Han General Teapot is fully handmade by Ms. Zhu Qian Bing ( 朱倩冰 ) - National Yixing Pot Artist with zisha 22 years old well weathered base clay ( 底槽清 ).  It features a boy riding on a cow. On the other side of the pot , it says "牧趣 ". It means Fun herding.
 
More information about Yixing Classification can be found : Yixing Clay Type
 
What is Base Clay?
Base Clay is a type of Purple Clay. More information can be found here :
 
Base Clay 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 1180 ° 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 175ml (+/- 5ml) and features a flat filter and tight-fitting lid. The walls of this teapot are thick,  but it allows for a very stable and comfortable hand feel that has to be experienced to fully appreciate. It also includes a certificate from the artist indicating the artist’s name, teapot shape and clay composition.
 
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.