Zhang Xue Lei: Prosperity

The wonderfull black color of this Yixing teapot is the result of a special firing technique that is called wu hui (焐灰). Firstly, the teapot is fired once normally. It is then buried in wood or straw ash to return to the kiln for a second time. The iron particles in the clay are thus fired under a deoxygenised environment and become black. Unlike an ash glaze, the material — iron — that colorizes the pot exists naturally in the clay, without the need for adding a glaze material. In other words, the second firing transforms the zisha clay from the reddish color into black. Although Wu hui Yixing teapots have been in vogue in the tea community for only a few years, the technique itself is an old one that was originally used to salvage misfired Yixing clay wares. The technique has evolved to produce such a wonderful black by the merits of the diligent spirit of the kiln artisans in Yixing. Artist:       Zhuang Xue Lei, National Associate Master Industrial ArtistPot style:  Squashed Belly ( Bian-fu )Material:  Wu hui zishaCapacity:  170 ml Zhang Xue Lei Often referred to as Xue Lei — an honest and big pile of snow — this young, talented and up-and-coming artist has already been well collected and has been aggressively experimenting with various form styles and clays. In 2017 at the age of 21, he received an Innovation Award at the prestigious “Yixing Centenarian New Talents Selection Awards”. His works actually show a solid traditional craftsmanship foundation with precision and elegance in addition to his creative flair. We are keeping an eye on this promising young artist and hopefully will bring more of his work online. All Yixing teapots in our Master Artist Collection are delivered with a pull-string towel sack in a collector's box with cushions inside. Note: Unless otherwise stated, all Yixing teapots are new from the kiln. Please properly clean and prepare them before making tea in them. There is a proper procedure to do that which is explained in the tab "How to Clean & Prime your new Yixing Teaware" at the bottom of this page. We try our best to represent the colors of all tea accessories, including Yixing teapots in the product photographs. However, there are many factors that we cannot control, including those that affect how the photos are rendered in your computer or mobile device. There may be interpreted discrepancies between the color as seen on this site and that of the product you receive. Capacity: 170 ml. (5.75 fl oz.)Origin: Yixing, China