Gong Chun 龔春

Pottery in the Yixing area has been produced for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the early 16th Century that the birth of Yixing pots, as we know them today, took place.

A monk from Jinsha-si, the Golden Sand Temple, just outside of Yixing, who had studied with a local potter began producing fine quality teapots with the zisha clay. His name has been lost with the golden sands of time but a name that is still remembered well is Gong Chun, a young servant of a scholar who'd come to Jinsha Temple to study for the Imperial examination.

Gong Chun spent his free time with the monk, learning to make pots. With some zisha clay, he went out and modeled a teapot after the texture and form of a burl in an old Ginkgo tree growing on the temple grounds. Pressing his thumb into the bottom of the pot, marking it his own, he began a long tradition of Yixing masters.

Eventually, his master freed him to dedicate his life to potting. Tea was a popular commodity amongst the upper-classes and at the time of Gong Chun, tastes were shifting from extravagant to elegant simplicity. Also, the Emperor had recently declared that tribute tea must no longer be in bricks that were to be ground, but as loose leaves. Gong Chun's style fit perfectly into this new trend and his master quickly spread the word of Gong Chun and his pots, making his work highly sought after. Gong Chun and his master also recognized the superior quality of the porous zisha clay for brewing loose-leaf tea.

He was a great innovator of Yixing pottery, creating his own tools. He also designed as several unique styles of pots, many derived from nature, including the "Dragon Egg", "Square Seal", and the "Burl" teapot, now better known as the "Gong Chun" teapot. There is only one remaining pot in the world that is quite certain to be his, on display at the National Museum of China. Unfortunately, the lid was "lost" during the war, but a convincing replica was make to replace it. Since shortly after his time there has been a constant line of potters imitating his work, keeping his creations and his spirit alive.

the "Gong Chun" teapot

Chen Tu Gen's Zisha Peach-Branch Teapot

In previous posts, I referred to the artist as Jin To Geun. I've since learned that is the Korean pronunciation of his name. Chen Tu Gen is more accurate to his Chinese name.

Sometimes desire creeps in slowly. I see a teapot, it's looks nice, I leave then the thought of the pot circles my thoughts until I "must" have it. This pot was different. From the moment it was shown to me, I wanted it, more than I'd ever wanted any other teapot.

Though I'd been on the looking out for a "stump" teapot (this one is more of a "branch") it was really the heart-shaped spout that I found the most appealing, but the peach is also one of the "Ten Symbols of Longevity" (12th on the list, don't ask...). It's a popular motif on many temple murals; A Daoist immortal accompanied by a couple of his little attendants, one of whom is lugging a giant peach for the master.

The pot is authentic Yixing zisha. The walls are so thin that when I pinched them to check the thickness, I was almost afraid that my finger would punch through, like on the paper windows on traditional latticed doors. Of course, I knew that it wouldn't, but it's just a testament to how amazingly thin the pot is. Unfortunately, the peach-branch design also means that the pot's thickness is not fully even, which affects the distribution of heat, in turn affecting the tea, but it's a minimal drawback, far outweighed by its beauty.

The wide spout allows for a very quick, clean pour, just a few seconds, which can make a good difference when using a larger pot. The lid fits perfectly in place and has a nice groove to keep the design in line. It fits so well that I've actually had a difficult time removing it after rinsing from the tight seal that forms. For some reason, after rising it hasn't been a problem. As I become more familiar with it, perhaps I'll figure something out.

The color of the clay is light purplish-brown. The specks of larger grain give it a slightly pink tone. At first, I commented that I preferred the even color of the other pots he made but Mr Ahn's description of the clay was that, "It's like the Milky Way in the night sky." After hearing it put that eloquently, I was willing to change my mind's eye... and admit that I have a lot to learn before I can call myself a tea master!

This zisha one was a promotional model, but there are several smaller (approx. 100-120ml) ones made from authentic zhuni available at >Kkik Da Geo<. The zhuni pots are exceptionally good for puer. Anyway, I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Any questions, I will gladly answer in the comments.

 

Zhuni Ba'le (Guava) Teapot

After narrowing down Chen Tu Gen's pots to a select few, the one that initially caught my eye still stood out, a Ba Le (芭樂/Guava) shaped pot, similar to the Pear-shaped pots I love so much but with a flat lid, making it slightly more balanced and easier to handle. 

On closer inspection, the craftsmanship of the pot is flawless, down to the tiniest details. The thin spout is elegantly curved with a pointed edge. The inner edge of the handle is worked flat, adding to the pots aesthetic. finally, the top knob, or bead, as I prefer to call it, is perfectly formed, slightly tapered at the top where the air spout is meticulously clean. Meticulous may be the best over-all adjective for this pot, every single grain of its zhuni clay, meticulously crafted to the point of obsession.

The zhuni clay also makes a delicate, wrinkled, skin-like texture that will continue to develop with use. 

Directing focus to the inside of the pot, the first thing I observed is that the lid was perfectly snug and the rim of the pot was as smooth as glass. Where in even some of my best pots the inner seems along the bottom of the pot and inside the lid are a bit sloppy, both the inner seam of the pot and the lid have cleaned with a groove. 

Performance wise, the zhuni clay makes it a great pot for any type of tea but really great for puer. That said, I've been using this one for Tie Guan Yin. The erect spout makes a beautiful, fountain-like arc while pouring. The thinness makes for a bit of a slow pour, but that usually doesn't concern me. What did concern me at first is that the pot is so thin it made me apprehensive until my fingers adjusted. The top bead is also so tiny that my clumsy fingers had difficult grasping it. I've taken to lifting it on and off with the tongs, which is a good practice, anyway. The high-quality, highly porous zhuni clay and thin walls also let the clay develop a patina very quickly. After just a few uses, it had already developed a nice sheen and in only five months it's already showing a small buildup inside.

For anyone in search of a nice, authentic zhuni pot, you won't find anything better on the market for a comparable price than one of Chen Tu Gen's.

Link to Kkik Da Geo:
http://kkikdageo.com./bbs/view.php?uid=53&startPage=1&boardid=in_chinaboard2
No English, but if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

陳兎根 • Chen Tu Gen

Last year, Chen Tu Gen, a Chinese man from Yixing, came into Kkik Da Geo with a collection of hand-made pots, hoping to do business in Korea. He said that all the shops he'd visited weren't interested (they most likely didn't trust him) and Kkik Da Geo was the last place he was trying before going back to China.

When he unveiled his pots, their jaws dropped at what they beheld; a perfect blend of technique, artistry, and precious, rare clay. A combination rarely seen these days. As far as teashops in Seoul go, few owners have Mr Ahn's eye for clay and he immediately recognized that the pots were authentic zisha and zhuni clays. Needless to say, they immediately agreed to sell his pots, considering their meeting him to be "in-yeon", a sort of karmic-affintity. 

Not long after, I visited their website and my own eyes nearly popped out when I saw the new collection of pots they had. The one that amazed me the most was a peach-branch pot with a heart-shaped spout. I'd never seen anything like it. Unfortunately, by the time I made it into Seoul, it had been sold, but I was pleased to set aside an elegantly crafted zhuni guava pot. The stone used to make zhuni clay has been extinct since the early 1970's, but his supply of clay has been in his family for 200 years and he inherited it from his grandfather.

As fate would have it, just a few days after I bought the guava pot, I dropped by the shop just as a parcel arrived from Chen Tu Gen. Mr Ahn carefully unwrapped a zisha pear-branch pot for me to admire and said it was mine if I wanted it. At first I said no, but called them the next day to change my mind. They let me pay it off as I could and after four long months of admiring it through the glass display case, I was able to bring it home to join the rest of my indulgences. 

What amazed me the most about these pots, aside from their perfect form, is how fast they sold. In even a week between visits I'd notice more than a dozen would be gone. There were several of them that were accented with gold leaf for more than twice the price of a regular one and within two weeks they were all gone. 

Not that I plan on selling them anytime soon, but if there's one justification to owning these pots, beyond desire/greed, they are actually good investments, as their value is guaranteed to grow. Really, though, they just make drinking tea that much more enjoyable.

Here are a couple of photos I took at Kkik Da Geo with my phone (not the greatest quality). I will do a proper, in-depth review of each one when time permits.

> Chen Tu Gen's Ba Le (Guava) pot <

Myung Won "Hadong Green Tea"

After receiving this tea as a gift at the COEX Tea World Festival from Myung Won's booth, I was very excited to get home and try it. The chairwoman of the company is holder of Korea's Intangible Cultural Asset Number 27 for the Royal Court Tea Ceremony, and has been recognized with the Ok-Gwan (Jade) Order of Cultural Merit from the Korean Government.

The box was divided into two small packages, one with 20g of "녹차 Green Tea", and the other 20g of "홍차 Black Tea". I found the simplicity of the names a bit puzzling since, traditionally, Korean green tea is known as 작설차 (Jakseol Cha/Sparrow's Tongue tea) and is then divided into 우전 (Ujeon), 세작 (Sejak), and 중작 (Jungjak) for the first, second, and third flushes.

The second sign that I may have overestimated this tea was the leaves themselves. Though a bold, sweet fragrance emerged when I cut open the foil pack, reminiscent of strawberry jam, the elegantly curled leaves, beautiful to look at, had many bright green leaves mixed in. In other respected teas from the area, these would have been painstakingly removed during the roasting and drying process.

The steeped leaves had a full balance of sweet and tart that eventually faded into a piney astringency. The aftertaste was rich and a burst of sweetness on the tongue left a pleasurable final impression. The finished leaves varied widely in size, but most closely resembled a Jungjak harvest.

Somewhere between my initial great expectations and subsequent skepticism after inspecting the packaging and leaves, this tea ended up being very delightful. Though it lacked the subtlety of the highest quality Hadong teas, it is still a much appreciated gift that I will enjoy 'till the end.