ZISHA TEAPOT SI TING, HANDMADE BY SKILLFUL ARTIST, JIANG JIAN-HUA 蒋建华 朱泥 笑樱壶

SHAPE 壶型：Xiao Ying (笑樱 The Smiling Cherry Teapot)

Materials 泥料：ZHU NI 小煤窑朱泥 

Capacity 容量：130 ml

The Smiling Cherry Teapot, originating from the Ming Dynasty, was refined by Master Gu Jingzhou and stands as one of the classic teapot shapes in Yixing clay art.

As early as the Song Dynasty, the "yingping" was used as a vessel for serving wine among literati; according to the "Shuowen Jiezi", it refers to a type of pottery with a large belly and a small mouth. In the Ming Dynasty, Master Xu Youquan integrated the image of the "yingping" into Yixing teapots. Due to the small size of the teapots produced, they were dubbed "xiao yinghu" or "small yinghu".

After graduating from university in 1964, Mr.Pan Chunfang, joined the technical department of The Yixing Zisha Factory and made his first assignment, an improved version of the "xiao yinghu". Based on Pan's design, Grand Master Gu JingZhou refined it into the exquisite teapot we see today.

Around 1966, during the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations, Premier Zhou Enlai wished to present a Yixing teapot to the Japanese Prime Minister. After selecting from several options, he felt that the name of this teapot needed improvement. Hence, he consulted Professor Gao Zhuang of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Gu Jingzhou. When viewed from the side, the teapot resembles a smiling woman, radiating joy. Its knob resembles a cherry blossom bud, and given Japan's reverence for cherry blossoms, it was renamed the "Smiling Cherry Teapot".

The Smiling Cherry Teapot has gained widespread popularity due to its remarkable dynamism, appreciated for its solid and robust structure, exhibiting both a rugged masculinity and the grace of a refined lady. According to Master Gu Jingzhou, crafting this teapot requires meticulous attention to detail.

Among the numerous Smiling Cherry Teapots, many are the works of masters. Wang Yinchun, Zhu Kexin, and Gu Jingzhou, three of the "Seven Grand Masters of Zisha", produced similar creations in the 1960s and 1970s. Their individual interpretations of proportions in the teapot's height, spout, handle, and lid result in distinct nuances.

Among them, the most renowned are the works of Master Gu Jingzhou's Smiling Cherry Teapot: slightly flattened with rounded folded shoulders, its robust form, and smooth lines highlight its plump and gentle beauty. Crafted from natural pure purple clay, its fine texture, rich purple hue, and lustrous finish make it a treasured representative of teapot art.

器型

笑樱壶始于明代，改良自顾景舟大师，是紫砂壶中的经典壶型之一。

早在宋代，罂瓶用作文人雅士的盛酒器；《说文》：“罂，缶也”。是为大腹小口的瓦器。
明代，紫砂大师徐友泉把罂瓶的形象，融入到紫砂壶中，因为制出的紫砂壶很小，没有罂瓶大，所以就被称为“小罂壶”。
朱可心的徒弟，潘春芳大学毕业之后，1964年到了紫砂厂的技术科，做的第一件作品便是改进“小罂壶”，也称之为“小英壶”。
顾老依据潘春芳的设计，改进成为目前的这款万分出彩的壶型；
1966年左右，中日建交时，周总理想把宜兴的紫砂壶赠送给日本首相，从数款中选了这款，但觉得其壶名有待改进，便与当时参与其事的中央美院高庄教授和顾景舟商讨，这款壶从侧面看，好似一女子在笑，充满喜悦之情，花苞壶纽形意似枝头樱桃，加上日本以樱花为尊，就改名为“笑樱壶”。

笑樱壶流传甚广，皆因其张力十足，为人所喜爱。
器型沉重扎实，有种绝不妥协的硬汉风格，又有小女子大家闺秀的风韵。
根据改良者顾景舟大师的观点，制作这款壶型其实是非常考工夫的。

众多的笑樱壶中不乏大师的作品，“紫砂七大老艺人”中的王寅春、朱可心、顾景舟在上世纪六七十年代都有类似的创作，因各自对壶体高低，壶流、壶把、壶盖等比例的理解不同，而展现出不同的韵味。
其中最有名气的就是顾景舟大师的笑樱壶作品：微扁圆折腹隆肩，形体雄健线条流畅，特显丰满柔和之美。选用天然纯紫泥而作，泥质细而不腻，色泽紫而不姹，润泽腴丽，是壶艺光素器的珍品代表。

泥料

作者

蒋建华,实力匠人