Newman Huo

    MORE than 100 ancient purple clay teapots are on display at the Shenzhen Museum until May 5 next year, illustrating China’s traditional tea culture.

    Highlights of the exhibition include relics unearthed in recent years at the ancient site of Sushan Kiln in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. They provide important information on the origins of Yixing purple clay teapots.

    Among the exhibits are rare antique teapots made by master artists from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) until today, such as Shi Dabin, Chen Mingyuan, Yang Pengnian, Wang Yinchun and Ku Jingzhou.

    Yixing purple clay is from the Yixing region. The history of purple clay teapots recorded in Chinese records started when Gong Chun learned how to make teapots from monks at the Jinsha Monastery in Yixing during the reign of Emporer Zhengde (1505-1521) in the Ming Dynasty.

    In the mid-to-late period of the Ming Dynasty, the production techniques of purple clay teapots was approaching perfection.

    The exhibition has been organized by the Shenzhen Museum and the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu Province. All exhibits were provided by the Nanjing Museum, Mianyang Museum in Sichuan Province and Jingcheng Museum in Shanxi Province.