Who was the first person that discovered the distinctive purple clay ideal for making teapots? How deep do purple clay teapot collectors love their treasures? There are many interesting Chinese legends and folklore that aim to answer these questions.
A mysterious monk, the father of purple clay
[I:http://wherepittsburgheats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/JasonJia12.jpg] Long, long ago, in southeast China’s small town named Yixing, the locals were enjoying the tranquility of the country life.
But one day, a strange monk showed up at the town. He shouted while walking, “Clay makes you rich! Clay makes you rich!” The villagers looked at the monk curiously. The monk saw the confusion in the villagers’ eyes, so he shouted again, “You can be rich if you are not royal family members!” Hearing these words, the villagers grew more bewildered, and gazed at the monk moving about. Soon the monk raised his voice, and set off in quicker paces.
One sly villager decided to find out the hidden meaning, and went after the monk. In a short while, they were at a nearby mountain. However, the monk was gone. The man tried to find the monk once more, but failed. Instead, he only found several freshly-dug caves. He cautiously came up to the mouth of one cave and looked inside. To his surprise, the caves were full of colored clay.
The elder took some of the colorful clay back home. He shaped and fired the clay. When the pottery came out of the kiln, he could not believe his eyes, for it featured unique colors. This matter reverberated through the town. The villagers followed the elder’s example, and the Yixing purple clay industry began.
A pauper with his only purple clay teapot
Once upon a time, there was a rich man who particularly enjoyed drinking tea. No matter who came to his home for tea, rich or poor, he would treat them well.
Once, a ragged panhandler wandered over to the man’s house. He asked for a cup of tea, rather than food. With no prejudice, a butler ushered the panhandler in, and poured a cup of tea for him. The panhandler caught a glimpse of the tea, and then surprisingly commented, “The tea leaves are not good enough.”
“Does this guy know what good tea is?” the servant said to himself, and made another cup of tea with the best tea leaves. The panhandler smelled at the rim of the cup, and commented again, “The tea leaves are good, but the water is subpar. The best water for brewing tea comes from the mountains.”
“He must be no ordinary pauper,” the servant thought, and then he immediately made another cup of tea with the mountain water kept in the residence. After taking a sip, the pauper made his comment again, “This water is ok, but the firewood is not the best. You know, the firewood from the mountainside facing the sun is too soft, but wood on the other side is usually good.” The servant marveled at the pauper’s words, so he promptly brewed tea once again using the good firewood, and asked the rich man to come out and meet the strange pauper.
When the tea was ready, the rich man and the beggar drank a cup of it together. Then the beggar remarked, “Well, this time the tea leaves, water, firewood and fire are good, but the pot is not good.” “This is the best pot I have,” the rich man replied.
The panhandler then reached and pulled out a dainty purple clay teapot featuring soft and inviting luster. “Try again with this one,” he said with a smile. This time the tea tasted so good that no one could say no to it. Realizing the true value of this pot, the landlord made a prompt decision: He offered to purchase the teapot from the panhandler on the spot.
Saying nothing at all, the panhandler picked up his belongings and was about to go away. The landlord stood in the way at once, offered in a high voice, “I want to exchange half my house and property for that teapot.” The panhandler did not reply, and just tried to leave. The landlord grew so anxious that he raised his pitch again, “All right, my entire house and property, ok?” Recognizing how much the landlord loves a good purple clay teapot, the panhandler smiled and said, “Well, I used to be wealthier than you, but now I have lost everything except this pot, and there’s no way I’ll trade it for anything.”
Is a purple clay teapot worth a poor girl’s life?
[I:http://wherepittsburgheats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/JasonJia14.jpg] Once upon a time, there was a local official who was absolutely nuts about purple clay teapots. In his eyes, the most precious one in his collection was a teapot crafted by the most famous master potter of that time.
Once at a tea party, a maidservant was serving tea to the administrator and his friends. All of a sudden, an accident took place. The cherished purple clay teapot accidentally slipped from the maidservant’s hand, and broke into pieces. The administrator hit the ceiling, and wanted to get reimbursed by taking the frightened girl’s life.
When the artist learned about that, he decided to save the maid as quickly as possible. He rushed to the local official’s residence, carrying a dozen of his choice, handmade teapots. He proposed to the official, “You may choose any one of the most elaborate teapots I have made if you release the maid.”
This suggestion made the administrator quite pleased. He picked one of the ten pots, and ordered his guards to unshackle the maidservant.
Later on, the administrator brought forward another question, “Sir, would you like to sell me the other teapots?” The potter rose to his feet silently, and smashed every one of them.
The magistrate was stupefied, and felt deeply regretful. He asked why the master potter would rather break the pots than sell them to him. The potter answered, “I broke them and they don’t have to be reimbursed by anybody’s life. But if they are broken in your home, who knows how many people will have to die!