Ceramic Arts Daily – Poetry in Motion: A Yixing Teapot Master Creates an Exquisite Handbuilt Teapot

I am super impressed when I see handbuilt work that is so symmetrical and perfect that it looks wheel thrown or slip cast, especially when no molds or forms were used in the handbuilding process. So I was blown away when I saw today’s video (which was filmed and submitted by potter Stephen Robison). In the video, Zhou Gui Zhen, who has been designated a National Living Treasure in China, demonstrates the construction of the body of a teapot from slabs using a traditional Yixing technique. Yixing (pronounced “yee shing”) is a pottery center near Shanghai, China. The term also refers to the reddish brown stoneware teapots that have been made there since the 16th century. Yixing teapots are traditionally made from free-formed slabs, as Zhou demonstrates, or with press-molded pieces. Zhou’s craftsmanship is truly poetry in motion.

Next week, Zhu Jiang Long will demonstrate how to refine the lid of one of a teapots so that it fits perfectly. He also puts the finishing touches on the knob – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.

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To learn more about Stephen Robison, visit his blog at http://stiffyguss.blogspot.com/

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64 Comments on "Handbuilding Video: A Yixing Teapot Master Creates an Exquisite Handbuilt Teapot"

Andy li January 1, 2013 at 7:48 am -

We Sell quality Yixing Teapot .And Welcome to our online shop http://www.ateatime.com
Taiwo September 3, 2011 at 10:17 am -

The demonstration is fine but the mixing process of the clay was not included in the video
zelal May 24, 2010 at 4:15 pm -

I just want to say awesome>>>>….:)
divya February 26, 2010 at 9:49 am -

magical!gives me hope to attempt round shapes using slabs…bow down to the clay godess..
Jeanie December 17, 2009 at 11:06 am -

How inspiring. Thank you.
Bozena December 11, 2009 at 10:24 am -

…splendid…and think what humans hands can do…??? Thank you for shering ..fantastic!!!and insiring!!!.
Barbara December 8, 2009 at 11:02 pm -

This was terrific! I, too, am going to watch it again and again, I’m sure. My wonderful husband traveled to China 2 years ago and by pure chance saw a teapot he thought I would love and brought it home to me. It was a Yixing teapot and I loved it. He and I both thought it must have been molded but upon further exploration realized that it was indeed hand built. After reading about Yixing pots, I was fascinated and very curious about how it was made. Thank you so much for this video. As always, these videos are real treasures for potters to get to see!
Bettye December 8, 2009 at 1:13 am -

That was truly amazing. I am going to watch it over and over again.
gaby December 7, 2009 at 10:46 pm -

Awesome, thank you for share this beauty. I want to see the next video!
Mafalda December 7, 2009 at 4:49 pm -

What a joy for the eye! Thank you for this jewel!
Gareth December 7, 2009 at 3:56 am -

Beautiful to watch – thank you from Wales
Bebe December 6, 2009 at 11:42 pm -

Mesmerizing!!! Would love to be able to do that! Wish there were more hours in my days.
Alice December 6, 2009 at 7:30 pm -

This is one video that I will watch over and over again. Beautiful.
Yoshimi December 6, 2009 at 7:29 am -

Wow, how she can possiblly to make it even thickness and beautiful quality without wheel or roller…years of experiences. Cannot copy all but can use how to make spaut, maybe easider than making it on wheel.
Karen December 5, 2009 at 8:49 pm -

Very cool. Didn’t know if I would ever have an opportunity to actually see these wonderful pots made.
lila December 5, 2009 at 7:44 pm -

Thank you! So delightful to see how it can be done all by hand. What a master, she makes it look easy but alas, it takes many years of concise work to achieve. Sierra
nancy December 5, 2009 at 6:07 pm -

Awesome . Love all of it.
Terry December 5, 2009 at 3:45 pm -

This is a beautiful demonstration of pure craftsmanship (craftswomanship!). I only ever hand build – I would love to have access to yixing clay!!!!
sue December 5, 2009 at 2:08 pm -

I have been hoarding my pound of Yi Xing clay given to me at a teapot workshop by Ah Leon quite a few years ago at Anderson Ranch Now I am inspired to finally use it though I hardly expect to emulate this living treasure.
Allison December 5, 2009 at 1:46 pm -

hooray for hand builders!!! this potter and this video just show how wonderful handbuilding can be. :D
Rebecca December 5, 2009 at 1:25 pm -

The table was mentioned as a heavy wooden table in the video. I know from personal use that unvarnished, smooth hard-wood surfaces are nice to work on. Free of varnish, the clay isn’t as inclined to stick to the table’s slightly porous surface.
Melanie December 5, 2009 at 12:09 pm -

Pure beauty of transforming a piece of clay…the connection she possess to create such a piece. Thank you for sharing simply amazing!
nicholas December 5, 2009 at 12:03 pm -

does anyone know what the top layer of her table is made of?
kim December 5, 2009 at 11:55 am -

that was heaven on earth.. thanks for sharing this with all of us that love the earth on our hands.. looking forward to the next video..
Shelley December 5, 2009 at 10:09 am -

I learned so much from this video! Her hands move so smoothly and surely. You know that she must have made about a thousand of these! Can’t wait to see her do the lid. Thanks!
Laura December 5, 2009 at 6:58 am -

When one sees that the work seems so easy, it is because the worker is a Master. The piece seems to grow from her hands, as a prolongation of her spirit. There is much of Zhen in the process. Thanks for sharing!
Susie December 5, 2009 at 1:35 am -

I love the lady,the music, techniques and tools. OMG! I am gonna take an electric saw to a couple of my wooden clay rolling pins tomorrow morning, whip out the sand paper and custom make a couple of those slab tools. Really wonderful video. Thanks for sharing!
Beth December 5, 2009 at 12:20 am -

Stunning! Awesome! Fabulous artist – she even has musical rhythm in the pounding process. Can’t wait for the next video. This one has it all – artist, narrator and music. Many thanks for sharing.
robyn December 5, 2009 at 12:12 am -

the simplicity is amazing…..a piece of her soul goes into every pot….cant wait to see the next video….am inspired to make some this way….also to show my studants this method….what clay was she using…..
Angie December 4, 2009 at 9:54 pm -

This lady is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this, can’t wait ’til next week!
JEAN December 4, 2009 at 7:52 pm -

Wow! Wonderful!
sandi December 4, 2009 at 5:17 pm -

How do folk find words for that ? I can’t ……Watching that is like visual music….Magic!
Monty December 4, 2009 at 4:58 pm -

A true master!
Carole December 4, 2009 at 4:21 pm -

Thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas gift! I purchased a mallet like this at NCECA in Pittsburgh. Chances are they will show up in Philly this coming March. It is great for compressing and strengthing clay slabs.
shane December 4, 2009 at 3:40 pm -

It is wonderful to see these techniques again. I traveled to Yixing in 2005 to see it first hand, and to see a true master work is amazing. To answer several peoples’ questions: the hammer, and I believe most of the tools used here are available online, try http://www.chineseclayart.com It is very humid there, but I’ve tried the techniques here in Colorado (quite dry)with limited sucess which I would attribute to both lack of expreience and the clay I was using (not yixing). The yixing clay is particularly suited to handbuilding and is the primary reason the artists can get away with what we might consider bad technique! If you are ever able to get your hands into some, you will find it very nice to work with.
Dorinda December 4, 2009 at 3:15 pm -

Beautiful to watch! Will this be demo be available to purchase on DVD?
Lila December 4, 2009 at 3:14 pm -

I am just a beginning potter but this truely inspired me. Can’t wait for the second part and can’t hardly wait for class next week! Thank you for sharing.
Lindsay December 4, 2009 at 2:59 pm -

That was great! Anyone know where you can buy a wooden mallet like hers?
Vicki December 4, 2009 at 2:56 pm -

Amazing video, thank you. This must be a humid climate. I live in a very dry climate and wonder if this could be done in low humidity as the clay drys so quickly here.
Mary December 4, 2009 at 2:53 pm -

Wonderful. This is very enjoyable and well put together video. Thank you for sharing.
ali December 4, 2009 at 2:40 pm -

i dont know what to say ,lol ,she is just amazing , even better than wheel!!!!!!!!
Brenda C December 4, 2009 at 2:20 pm -

Absolutely fabulous. Her craftsmanship shows. Can’t wait to see the process of the lid. Thank you for this video.
Gillian December 4, 2009 at 2:02 pm -

Now I don’t have to go to China to watch one of these fabulous teapots being made! I too loved the simplicity of the knife (or a chopstick) placed across the top to align the spout and handle.
Simone December 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm -

Thank you for sharing this fab video, inspired to head to the studio and atempt to make one!
cris December 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm -

É incrivel como ela faz tudo com uma precisão imprecionante, tudo se encaixa com as medidas certas e o mais extraordinario, uma limpeza que eu nunca vi, ela nem suja as mãos, estou realmente encantada. Gostaria de ter só um pouquinho dessa habilidade. Adorei
Karen December 4, 2009 at 1:28 pm -

Thank you very much for this great video! I can hardly wait for the next one!;-D
Jenette December 4, 2009 at 1:25 pm -

Ive made many teapots but never with out throwing the body on the wheel. This is great, and I intend to try to hand-build my next pot.
Cindy December 4, 2009 at 1:07 pm -

Incredible–I’ve wanted for a long time to see how one of these teapots was made, so thank you, thank you for posting this! My first thought was, would she use a wheel if she had one? I mean, why make a round, symmetrical pot by hand? But watching this video, I suspect that handbuilding is truly the best method for producing this form. She swells the sides by pounding in the top and bottom edges and then, when the form is enclosed, she blows up the body like a balloon by blowing into a small hole–you can see it from time to time if you look. Only I wonder why she didn’t close up the hole once she had blown up the teapot body? It seems like that would make it easier to work on–but she’s probably so good that she doesn’t need to bother. I suspect the clay is fairly stiff. Notice she used a form of the broomstick method (shown here in an earlier video) to create the spout. I really enjoyed this video and am looking forward eagerly to the next one. :)
Karey December 4, 2009 at 12:47 pm -

Pure magic! Thank you for making this available to view.
Michael December 4, 2009 at 12:36 pm -

This woman is truly someone who has mastered her craft. I watched the video with wide eyes and mouth agape. I have made a resolution to own one of these beautiful teapots.
heather December 4, 2009 at 12:22 pm -

Am on the edge of my seat waiting for part 2 - Thank you for providing this amazing resource!
angela December 4, 2009 at 12:11 pm -

Great demonstration of hand-building a traditional tea pot. I am looking forward to part two. Thank you for bring this to us.
eye December 4, 2009 at 12:07 pm -

There’s nothing more beautiful than a master using techniques perfected from experience. I want one of those knives!
Edward December 4, 2009 at 11:43 am -

This has to be the best thing I have seen done with clay! It flies in the face of all the rules. The product is so sophisticated a whole tradition could (has been) built around it. Remarkable! Can’t wait for the lid and the opening of the pot!
Randall December 4, 2009 at 11:32 am -

Great tip about using the knife to get the spout height correct. Also, notice no scoring, just slip.
cristina December 4, 2009 at 11:18 am -

sheer delight to watch xx
Jennifer December 4, 2009 at 11:15 am -

Just to clarify: Zhou is, in fact, a woman. I believe Anita was confused because I mentioned Zhu Jiang Long, a man, who will be in next week’s video. – editor.
anita December 4, 2009 at 11:09 am -

I love how he calls him “she” throughout the video
Donna December 4, 2009 at 11:05 am -

I didn’t want it to end. Makes me want to run to my studio.
susan December 4, 2009 at 10:51 am -

Beautiful handwork on a traditional form–thank you for sharing. It is interesting to me as an ever-neophyte that she only puts slip on one side of the joint and does not appear to cross-hatch surfaces. Is this just a beginner’s technique (cross hatching and slipping both sides)? sue
Craig & Tracy December 4, 2009 at 10:51 am -

I would like to see how they make the gallery for the lid and how they swell the sides.
Linda December 4, 2009 at 10:49 am -

Extraordinary!
Joel December 4, 2009 at 10:47 am -

Amazing. I can’t wait to see the lid.
deborah December 4, 2009 at 9:43 am -

Wow! Stunning how it’s all done without a wheel…amazing.