When people choose a teapot, they often hear potters praise the quality of the clay. In the collecting community, there are even claims that certain types of clay, like Zhu mud, are the most expensive, while the best is the "bottom tank" variety. However, I believe that despite the richness and rarity of historical zisha, if the pot isn't well-made, no matter how good the clay is, it won’t hold much value. The ancients understood this better than we do today.

In the "Yangshu Ming Tao Record," Wu Qing, a renowned collector from the Qing Dynasty, compared the value of teapots with tin vessels. He noted that Yixing teapots were the best for brewing water, followed by those made by Shida Bin and Chen Youqing. He mentioned that Huang Yuanji’s teapots were so good that they were almost as valuable as German tin. At the time, ordinary teapots could be sold for five or six gold pieces, similar to the price of tin water bottles. This suggests that zisha and tin had comparable market values. Wu Yan explained that the value wasn’t based on the raw materials but on the craftsmanship. If only the raw material was considered, zisha would be worthless. Only when it was transformed into a well-crafted teapot did its value become recognized. If it was a famous work, it could even surpass the value of tin. And if it was a masterpiece, it could rival the bronze weights of the Shang Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Gaoqi, in his book "Zishahu," recorded an interesting story. It said that in the early days of using zisha, the villagers of Yixing first used it and shouted, “Selling rich soil!” The crowd rushed to buy it. A monk then said, “You don’t buy it because it’s rich—buy the rich.” How could that be? The “rich soil” referred to here is zisha. From that moment on, zisha became known as “rich earth.” But the term “rich soil” doesn’t refer to the wealth of the earth itself—it refers to the people who use it (zisha) can become wealthy. This is similar to Hetian jade. Hetian jade is already worth a lot of money, and even uncarved stones can make you rich. Its value is based on weight and texture; a high-quality white jade seed can cost over 1,000 yuan per gram. However, zisha is not valuable unless it is made into a pot.

When looking at a teapot, we shouldn’t start by asking what kind of clay it is. We should look at the craftsmanship instead. If it’s not well-made, even the rarest clay won’t have much value. Of course, the clay is important, but good clay alone doesn’t guarantee a great pot. Don’t use the rarity of the clay as a marketing trick and neglect the art of pottery making. The true value lies in both the material and the skill behind it.