《西施》"Xi Shi", 150.7ml, *Zhi Ma Duan Ni 芝麻段泥, by Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming 顾小明 ～ Engraving (Plum Blossoms and Poem) by Craftsman Ruo Xi 若兮!~!🧧Congratulations to Mr S.R.🧧! 1518hrs 17th Feb 2026, Bryn Mawr! PA!
《西施》"Xi Shi".
This is the superb Xi Shi shape embarked by our latest Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming for many of you dearest friends for the past two years!
"观史知今，读书养志"
道德经中有这样一段话： 执古之道，以御今之有。能知古史，是名道。
From Dao De Jing 道德经 by Lao Zi 老子's writing and wisdom, he writes " 执古之道，以御今之有。能知古史，是名道", and with that comes "观史知今，读书养志", meaning: Only by putting a light on and understanding history, would we understand the present world fully.
Being industrious in reading, one would develop and further one's faculty of will and the need for determination to succeed in life.
☆☆ Appreciate Craftsman Gu's DILIGENCE. This Xi Shi of his, incorporates the more difficult-to-craft Qian Gai 嵌盖 lid-to-body interface construction. This Qian Gai interface here of this Xi Shi, is DIFFERENT from the Jie Gai 截盖.☆
The Qian Gai interface is the most difficult to craft interface construction, but Craftsman Gu did it because: IF DONE RIGHT + survive the firing successfully without deformation: this Qian Gai WILL give the most watertight interface (as the water has to move through TWO 90 degrees right angles before getting to leak out), and the most secure and SATISFYING, smile-inducing closure :-D
☆ ~ illustration with Craftsman Gu's series of delectable Qian Gai 嵌盖 Xi Shi's:
THIS Xi Shi has an impressive 2+3+4+3+2 = 14 exit filter holes!despite its relatively small size. Han Wa also facilitates: during tilting and pouring tea out: allows and draws in more tea and presents a higher hydrostatic pressure that results in a strong jet of tea during serving!!! Coupled with the wide aperture spout>>> the jet is strong and fast!
Craftsman Gu, thanks you, for embracing his work.
Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming delights us this time, crafting the all time evergreen classic, the Xi Shi! with the delectable Zhi Ma Duan Ni 芝麻段泥! Zhi Ma Duan "Sesame Seed Duan Ni" is a lovely type of Duan Ni, incorporating much iron as its constituent, amidst the highly porous nature that is Duan Ni!
Zhi Ma 芝麻 Duan Ni 段泥 is thus affectionately named, because of the speckling of iron constituents in generous quantities resemble Sesame Seeds 芝麻 :-D!
Bring this home early for more brilliant tea tastings with your guests, as you and your guests appreciate the visual beauty of the Plum Blossoms engraving and reflect upon the verse engraved in Kai Shu 楷书 Calligraphy Style by Craftsman Ruo Xi 若兮。
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As with all Art pieces from RealZiSha here presented to all of you dearest Friends, guardians of Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art, they are premium pieces availed at the most astounding lowest prices. We want you each of you friends to get the best. You deserve it.
Craftsman Gu also conscientiously sculpted a 手推内球孔 Hand-Pushed Spherical Filter to increase the number of filter holes (Craftsman Gu manages to execute skilfully without such small confines, the 2-3-4-3-2 configuration!!!, total being 14) as being 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 holes.
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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.
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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