Zisha teapot by artist Level 4, ZHU Li-Ping 朱丽萍（L4-2015）赵庄 朱泥 水平

Name 壶名：Horizontal Zisha Teapot (Shui Ping 水平壶）

Materials 泥料：ZHU NI 朱泥

Capacity 容量：150ml

THE SHAPE

The Shui Ping (Horizontal) Zisha Teapot, tracing its origins back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, stands as a quintessential utensil of practicality in everyday use. Particularly revered in the southern regions of China renowned for their meticulous approach to tea brewing (Kong Fu Cha Dao), this teapot's small stature is highly favored. Its design accommodates a unique tea-making ritual, where the teapot is submerged in a bowl of hot water and delicately rinsed, a process demanding a vessel that remains perfectly steady without tipping or tilting—a characteristic that has earned it the moniker of "Horizontal Teapot."

One of the most iconic renditions of this teapot is exemplified in the "Zhu Ni Xiaopin," crafted by the esteemed potter Hui Meng Chen during the late Ming and early Qing periods. Characterized by a simple yet refined design, meticulous artistry, and carefully selected clay, it is sometimes affectionately referred to as the "Mengchen Teapot" in homage to its creator.

The Republican era witnessed the emergence of Wang Yinchun, a master potter from Yixing renowned for his adeptness in crafting Horizontal Zisha Teapots. His swift and masterful techniques, coupled with the unique skill of inserting his pinky finger into the teapot to polish its inner surface, propelled his creations to prominence. Teapots fashioned by Wang are distinguished by their slender bodies, pure clay hues, and smooth water flow, garnering widespread acclaim both domestically and abroad.

During the Cultural Revolution, the Grand Master of arts and crafts, Xu Hantang, introduced eight distinct series of Horizontal Zisha Teapots, igniting a surge of interest and catalyzing the teapot's rapid evolution into a flourishing art form.

The characteristic features of the Horizontal Teapot include a rounded belly, loop handle, straight spout, and ball knob, with straight spouts being the most prevalent. Traditional styles encompass various iterations, including standard horizontal, round-line horizontal, soup-ladle horizontal, line-dipper horizontal, and papaya horizontal, each imbued with its unique charm.

Crafted predominantly from Zhu Ni clay, the Horizontal Teapot's allure is further heightened by the exquisite craftsmanship showcased in the Zhu Ni Xiaopin variants, rendering them highly coveted collectibles esteemed by connoisseurs worldwide. 

水平壶的名称来由很有趣，原来是随伴着华南一带饮工夫茶而来的。因泡工夫茶时，小壶放很多茶叶，注满开水，合上壶盖，也由于壶小茶叶多，注入开水量少、茶叶味不易泡出，故聪明的闽、粤茶道者为加快茶味泡出，将壶放在茶海或茶碗内，再用沸水反复淋茶壶的表面，使茶味容易泡出。由于用沸水淋茶壶加温、加快茶味泡出这种做法，在有意无意中发现了个别的小茶壶偶尔在热水中漂浮端正平稳，不会倾斜歪倒，如水平面一样平正，故称之为“水平壶”。

水平紫砂壶在众多壶型中较为特殊。

按造型，它属于光货中的圆器：圆腹、环把、流直、球钮；

按大小，它属于微型壶。

水平紫砂壶在明、清时期便有之，但只是艺人们偶尔为之，样式造型单一，期间具代表性的莫过于明末清初壶艺大师惠孟臣所作的“朱泥小品”。其造型简练朴素，做工精细周到，选泥考究，但是作品造型变化不大。

在使用功能及生产工艺，要求水平壶的嘴以直形嘴为最多，其“流”的根部较大，所以出水爽快。紫砂水平壶传统的式样有标准水平、线圆水平、汤婆水平，线瓢水平和芭乐水平等。

水平壶一般均使用朱泥制作，这是因为朱泥不易做大件作品，其成功率相对比较低，这也是朱泥大器，成品价格通常不菲的原因。

同时朱泥做小品效果佳，让人爱不释手。

泥料

作者

朱丽萍， LEVEL 4，(Awarded in 2015)