In China, a great number of tea lovers are very particular about both tea and tea ware. Naturally, some of them are very keen on purple clay teapots, which they say are the best for brewing tea. One purple clay teapot collector named Liu Tianbao can give us insight into this deep part of Chinese culture.

The Bad Buy

Liu started collecting purple clay teapots because of his contact with flowerpots. When he was a child, his father had a great taste for miniature landscapes and owned a number of purple clay flowerpots. Liu was unconsciously influenced by what he saw and heard, and gradually took up collecting purple clay.

Over 30 years ago, there were several curio markets in China’s capitol city. Following his father’s footsteps, Liu started to shop around at places where various folk arts and crafts were sold, looking for valuable purple play.

It was in one of these markets that Liu made a big mistake that he would remember for the rest of his life. In southeastern Beijing lies the well-known Panjiayuan Secondhand Antique Market. A lot of dealers go there before daybreak to prepare their wares. One day, Liu bought 50 secondhand purple clay teapots. He quickly brought them home and soaked them in water, and he was almost brought to tears. The handles and spouts of each and every teapot dropped off one after another. He realized the he had been cheated, and bought nothing more than broken pots.

An (Almost) Lost Love

Liu strove to never be duped again. In 1986, he took a shine to a teapot at an antique market in Tianjin. He wanted it for his own collection, but as the price was too high, he gave up. Ten years later, however, he met the teapot again by chance at an antique market in Beijing. There and then he bought it without hesitation.

He concluded that this purple clay teapot was made by Pei Shimin, a master potter of Yixing in the late Qing Dynasty. It was covered with a layer of yellow glaze. The teapot, which had gone through two separate firings, was exceptionally beautiful. Nowadays, this kind of purple clay teapot can only be seen at the Forbidden City or in museums.

Save a Pot or Save a Hip?

Liu treasures his purple clay teapots to the uttermost, for he knows their intrinsic worth. One day he purchased a rare purple clay teapot from the late Qing dynasty. He felt very glad. He put the pot into his backpack with great care, and then rode away on his bike. On the way, he kept singing his favorite songs.

But unexpectedly, in order to avoid hitting an old man, he rolled and fell off his bike. At that moment, he held the teapot tightly in his arms, and let his hipbone smash into the ground first. Consequently, he was confined to bed for one year. It became a popular story among his friends: Liu would rather break his bone than to break his purple clay teapot!

Since the first batch of damaged teapots Liu bought, more than 30 years have passed. He is very proud of his collection of purple clay teapots. He considers them his beloved sons. He is acknowledged as an outstanding purple clay teapot collector.

Liu believes that a purple clay master blends his life, inspiration, and pursuit in his work. To Liu, each purple clay teapot or even each grain of purple clay represents good taste and knowledge.

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