Chen Kai's Distant Mountain Purple-Red Clay Teapot

Clay: Purple-Red Clay
Capacity: 220 ml
Author: Chen Kai

Distant Mountain is an original work by Chen Kai, embodying a profound and distant artistic conception. It is not a commissioned piece and exists as a unique creation with no other replicas.
Based on a bamboo motif and incorporating the characteristics of ribbed teapots, it is exquisitely crafted from carefully selected rare purple-red clay. The knob, spout and handle are all ingeniously shaped like slender curved bamboo segments, achieving a cohesive style while each bearing its own distinctive charm. At the junctions, subtle bamboo leaf patterns blend seamlessly into the body of the teapot, forming an integrated whole with the entire vessel.
With well-defined concave and convex details, every line and joint is executed with meticulous precision, brimming with vivid vitality. The overall teapot exudes an elegant and upright aura, presenting a natural grace and handsome charm.

Purple-Red Clay

Purple-red clay is a rare and distinctive clay variety among Yixing zisha clays. It gets its name from its high iron content and the unique purple-red hue it presents after firing.
Its ore deposits are mainly distributed in the underlying layers of the superficial yellow stone formations in Huanglong Mountain and the young clay ore beds of Xiaomeiyao (Little Coal Kiln). With ore seams only a few centimeters thick, it is extremely difficult to mine and has a scarce reserve, hence earning the reputation as "gold among clays".
Due to the depletion of its ore sources and the high difficulty of crafting, purple-red clay has an extremely limited circulation in the market. In particular, works made from the original ore of Huanglong Mountain and Xiaomeiyao command a high price.

I. Clay Characteristics

1. Mineral Composition and Color:
   Purple-red clay is dominated by high iron oxide content (14%-18%), combined with minerals such as quartz and mica, forming a dense and fine-grained structure. The raw ore appears earthy yellow or off-white. After weathering and refining, when fired at a temperature of 1080–1140℃, it takes on a dark purple-red shade. When fired at a higher temperature, it can even exhibit a liver-red hue with red undertones in the purple. Its surface radiates a smooth, lustrous sheen due to high crystallinity.
   The purple-red clay from Huanglong Mountain leans toward a deep red color, while that from Xiaomeiyao (Little Coal Kiln) shows a darker purple because of its higher iron content. Some ore batches, mixed with trace amounts of manganese, present a unique grape-purple shade.
   
2. Shrinkage Rate and Craft Difficulty:
   Purple-red clay has an extremely high shrinkage rate of 18%–27%, far exceeding that of standard purple clay (8%–12%), making it one of the zisha clay varieties with the highest shrinkage rates.
   The high shrinkage rate renders shaping extremely difficult, requiring the adoption of the "low-temperature slow firing + extended heat preservation" process. A kiln temperature fluctuation of more than 5℃ may cause cracking or deformation. The finished product rate is usually less than 60%, thus giving rise to the saying "nine out of ten purple-red clay teapots crack during firing".
   In traditional teapot-making, 10%–20% of mature sand is added to reduce the risk of shrinkage damage. Modern craftsmanship, by contrast, improves the success rate through precise temperature control (±5℃) and staged firing.
   
3. Texture and Air Permeability
   The particle size of purple-red clay is usually 60–100 mesh, giving it a smooth, grease-like texture and a gentle, warm touch. Its porosity is approximately 18%–22%, falling between that of standard purple clay (28%–32%) and duan clay.
   While it has moderate air permeability, it boasts an exceptional ability to concentrate tea aromas, capable of quickly releasing the layered fragrance of highly aromatic teas. Meanwhile, its high-density structure (2.6–2.8g/cm³) grants it good thermal conductivity, so care should be taken to avoid scalding when brewing tea.