In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yixing teapots became highly esteemed objects for tea appreciation because their unique watertight but breathable surfaces brought out the best flavors from steeped tea. These teapots served as visual evidence of the changes within ceramic consumption patterns and luxury production in China across broad and diverse periods of time. This essay examines the different shifts within the Yixing industry: beginning with the production of these wares in the Ming period, then focusing on their decline in output with the fall of the dynasty, and finally the reorganization of the Yixing industry in the Qing dynasty that contributed to different types of production: private and commercial. Additionally, this essay will not only address different conditions that affected Yixing teapot production in each period but will also raise concerns regarding the contemporary scholarship of these tea wares. Based on the analysis of Yixing teapots from the Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and the contemporary period - one begins to understand first, how different forms of production manifest throughout history and second, the conditions that fostered the rise of the commercial industry.
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