《云炉》Yun Lu, 213.1ml, Di Cao Qing Zi Ni 底槽青紫泥, by Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming 顾小明 ~!Congratulations to Ms E.A.! 1640hrs 7th Apr 2026, Vineland! NJ!
https://www.realzisha.com/pages/fully-handmade-zisha-art-and-craft-and-tea-pairings
《云炉》Yun Lu!
Craftsman Gu embarked upon the Yun Lu on his ZiSha journey, and very grateful he is giving us this treat of a magical ZiSha work!!! Here it is! All Oriental, flamboyant and also difficult to craft with that acutely curved (concave) side walls, a rounded base PLUS a Na Di base worked it, an amazingly sculpted Spout, and that outstandingly styled and characteristic handle that makes the Yun Lu, a Yun Lu!
The top lid is also a very cute miniature version of the main body!: with the concaved section rising up to meet a plateau-ed top before the ergonomic lid knob stands majestically upon!
2. Craftsman Gu also conscientiously sculpted the largest number of hand-made filter holes 2+3+4+3+2! for a solid and fast pour of tea out and with better catching of tea leaves at the bottom fast while allowing tea to flow out from the upper hole.
3. NA DI 捺底 ~ BASE CONSTRUCTION upon a SUMPTUOUSLY curved base!:
The base is not a simple flat surface, and Craftsman Gu further the case by carefully and diligently coaxing in a Na Di base. The three tripod feet are carefully attached to the base plate. A very sturdy placement, every time on your tea table! Excellent form. Experience only gained through painstaking efforts through the years.
Shrinkage of Fully-Handmade ZiSha,
Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming 顾小明 thanks you dearest friends for your grandest support to the honest and dedicated Craftsmen left to fend the Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art. Enjoy his diligence, superb, classic handwork with this Yun Lu 云炉 and let his work accompany you on your tea journey!
Here with us in our happy family of true ZiSha connoisseurs, you witness 90-120 photos taken of EACH Fully-Handmade ZiSha work here.
Compare this to elsewhere: factory bosses of jigger-machining non-zisha pots contribute downstream to their retailers: 5-10 stock photos for each non-zisha pot model, used to sell a stock of 10, 20, 30 jigger-machined non-zisha pots per model. I.e. 5-10 photos to sell hundreds of one model.
We at RealZiSha, take 90-120 photos, fresh, of EACH, ONE, Fully-Handmade ZiSha work. Together with our sacrificial and hardworking Craftsmen and Artists committed to honest true Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art and Craft, we at RealZiSha go the eons' distance.
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Explained, https://www.realzisha.com/blogs/news/actual-zisha-landscape-at-yixing , the Craftsman by selling his hard-worked ZiSha craft at $190-$240, $45-$65 goes to the cost of the craft, inclusive of the fees for the firing for the kiln operator (three times per pot), the packaging boxes, and between $32 to $52 for the clay (Zi Ni Di Cao Qing, Duan Ni and upwards) used per pot. Craftsman takes 3 days (fastest 2.5days) to craft a pot.
If he works 30 days a month without a single day of rest (no family time), he will craft 10-12 pots.
If he crafts for 25 days (five days of rest a month), his output will be 8-10 pots.
The success rate for Zi Ni (e.g. Di Cao Qing, Lao Zi Ni, Da Shui Tan etc) and Duan Ni (e.g. Jiang Po Ni, Qing Hui Duan, etc) is 70% on average. Some times the whole batch of 10 may fail. We have seen our Craftsmen suffer like this very often.
The success rate for Zhu Ni (e.g. Xiao Mei Yao Zhu Ni) pots is 60%, or 70% with most optimism and at the very, very best. Unfortunately.
All of us at RealZiSha of course, hope for one another, professional colleagues and all, that all the pots will survive firing at the kiln successfully.
[For ZiSha models/designs that are very challenging and more complicated to craft, the time taken to craft will be longer, and the failure rate will be higher as well. Zi Sha by its virtue, have the highest shrinkage rate of all ceramic clay. Zi Ni and Duan Ni thus have that 70% success rate, while Zhu Ni has even higher shrinkage rate and thus even lower success rate (the lowest of all ceramic clay.)]
Our Craftsmen are wholeheartedly committed to the cause of Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art and their strictness with their craft and dedication earn our respect. We give a big Thank You all of these Craftsmen, for they are saving what is our common precious tea culture: Tea + Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art and Craft. Your support is critical to their livelihood and the existence of this craft for all of the tea fraternity.
Thank you Friends!
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