Exhibition: Purple Jade and Golden Sand - Yixing Clay Art Exhibition

I visited the 'Purple Jade and Golden Sand - Yixing Clay Art Exhibition' at the Wuxi Museum. This is a permanent exhibition at the Wuxi Museum. Yixing clay pottery is an art that turns stone into gold. According to legend, a monk sold 'prosperous soil,' leading locals to discover the use of Yixing clay. For thousands of years, they used clay to make pottery. By the Ming Dynasty, they consciously used Yixing clay, which had higher green body strength and lower firing shrinkage, to make pottery. They innovatively used techniques like 'beating the body' and 'inlaying the body' to shape teapots. The emergence of Yixing clay ware in the Ming Dynasty marked an improvement in raw materials, shapes, forming techniques, practicality, and aesthetics. On the other hand, the development of Chinese tea culture led to continuous updates in tea sets. The way of drinking tea changed in the Ming Dynasty, from boiling tea to steeping tea. This new form of tea drinking called for the emergence and popularity of Yixing teapots. The excellent material of Yixing clay also brought out the natural beauty of tea leaves. Currently, Yixing clay craftsmanship is in a golden age. Over hundreds of years, through the creative practice of countless masters and great craftsmen, it has developed into a unique system within Chinese pottery. Wuxi Museum