Yixing Red Clay Shuiping Teapot, Homage to 1960s Factory One (late 1980s, 80ml)
This shuiping (水平壺) teapot was made in the late 1980s outside the state factory system, as a faithful homage to the celebrated 1960s Factory One red clay shuiping pots. And it is a genuinely good one: the workmanship is crisp and disciplined, and the red clay (hongni 紅土) is of notably fine quality for its period, well above typical commercial output of the time.
The base carries the six-character "Jing Xi Hui Meng Chen Zhi" (荊溪惠孟臣製) seal, reproduced here with the reversed water radical in the character Xi (溪), a quirk found on certain original 1960s Factory One seals and a detail collectors use to classify early six-character marks. Its presence on this pot reflects how closely the makers studied the originals.
Original 1960s six-character shuiping pots have become expensive and increasingly hard to find in honest condition. For those who love that era's red clay shuiping but want a pot to actually brew with, this is exactly the niche these pots fill: the right form, the right spirit, and excellent clay, at a fraction of the price. At 80ml with a single-hole spout, it is an ideal daily gongfu workhorse for one or two drinkers.
Please note the body shows a few faint, shallow surface scratches (see photos), which do not affect function in any way and are reflected in the price. Three pots are available; you will receive one at random, with minor individual variation normal for pieces of this era.
