Genuine Yixing Zisha Purple Clay Teapot Jing Lan

Jing Lan, meaning well wall, is one of the original Man Sheng's eighteen Zisha styles (曼生十八式) and is beloved by many teapot lovers. The story is said that Man Sheng, the county supervisor of Suyang during the Jia Qing era (Qing dynasty) was good friends with the Zisha master Cheng Peng Nian, and together they created this teapot. One day they were sitting at Man Sheng's mansion, and a young servant girl was fetching water from a well in the courtyard. The well had a high protective wall, and the girl was trying to fetch water from the deep well. She tried so hard that her body was bent like a rainbow. This scene inspired the two masters that they came up with an idea of making a teapot. The body of the teapot would imitate the well wall and the handle would be shaped like the young girl's rainbow-like bend, and they named the teapot "Jing Lan". Since then, Jing Lan has become one of Man Sheng's teapot creation styles. 

The shape of Jing Lan has the aesthetic beauty of simplicity and elegance. The teapot is a classic representation of the philosophy and aesthetic artwork of Yixing pottery. And the ancient saying of "drinking water, have gratitude for the source", (饮水思源) is an important attitude and wisdom in traditional Chinese culture. Fetching well water implies that knowledge is as deep as well water, and it would never be used up. One should be humble and cultivate one's virtue and character from deep knowledge. 

The teapot is hand-crafted, made of genuine Qing Shui Ni, one of the beloved Zisha clays. The capacity is small, meant to be used for gongfu brewing for one or two people. The wide body build is great for large tea leaves. Very easy to use and comfortable to hold. 

Clay: Qing Shui Ni (清水泥)

Capacity: 100ml / 3.4 oz

Note: The color variations on the pictures are due to different shooting light. The last two pictures may best represent the actual teapot color.