Jian Shui 11: 开轩邀朗月 - Open the door and invite the moon to visit with us.

This teapot is characteristic of the design where scraps of parchment bearing chines characters are displayed in multiple colors and are often overlapping.  I love this design element. The hand-carved and inlaid characters on the reverse side (开轩邀朗月) that express the thought that you should "Open the Door and Invite the Moon to Visit with Us."  What a great sentiment that conjures up a peaceful place gently lit by the moonbeams. I have personally touched and photographed this exact pot and every piece that is in this Jian Shui Collection. Individually Handcrafted by a local Jian Shui artisan  Shipping: 10 to 20 business days to anywhere in the US Free Shipping and Insurance Return:  30-day return policy Each Jian Shui teapot offered by Tea Horse Treasures has been hand selected, in person, by me traveling to Jian Shui on The Ancient Tea Horse Road.  Jian Shui is a town located in southern Yunnan Province, about 100 miles north of the border with Vietnam and Laos.  This 1,000-year-old town has been making wood-fired clay pottery for hundreds of years and has more recently focused the skills of its artisans from cookware to teaware.  Jian Shui is the most beautiful teaware made in China today! The raw materials and methods of crafting this exquisite teaware are unique to Jian Shui.  The five colors of clay, only available in this area, contain no sand.  The extraordinarily fine composition of the clay allows it to be hand polished to a beautiful sheen without any glazing.  Read more about how this exceptional and unique teaware is made using the eight steps in the centuries-old traditional methods in the "Cultural Insights" newsletter here.  Jian Shui Cultural Insights The intricate designs are not painted on the teapots but are made by hand carving the design into the soft clay.  Then the artist, using one or more of the five colors of clay, embeds the colored clay into the recesses of the carved design and then works to smooth it out by hand.  After firing, the teapot is hand polished to a subtle or high gloss sheen and is ready to be enjoyed, brewing the famous Pu'er Tea that is also from this area. This area of Yunnan Province is the home of the first teas in the world and the starting place for the great adventures that transported the tea through the Himalaya mountains to Lhasa in Tibet to trade for horses. You will not find anything like this anywhere but in Jian Shui.  Brew a pot of Pu'er and invite your friends to enjoy the tea and the beauty of this unique piece of art! You will receive a picture of this exact piece being package by one of the beautiful Jian Shui woman working in our selected shop. Secure checkout with Master Card, Visa, Amex, Apple Pay & Many other payment options. Start or add to your collection of fine teaware today!