Inscriptions of Made by Zhening Yucheng Kilns On Purple Clay Teapots

The Exquisite Records of Yixing Teapots published by Taiwan National Museum of History, with an inscription of "made by Zhening Yucheng kilns" the book considered the Zhening Yucheng kilns as Yixing local kilns obviously.

Until now we did not find any records in domestic about the "Zhejiang Yucheng kilns' yet" we still can not confirm the exact location. Author had learned about some friends from Tianyige Museum in Ningbo, Office for the Preservation of Cultural Relics of Ningbo, Ningbo Academy of Painting and Calligraphy, the kiln site of Zbening Yucheng was at Ningbo, Cixi. The date of kilns should be during Daoguang to Guangxn Periods, main character was famous calligrapher Mei Diaoding, some Shanghai literati took participation on this such as Wang Dongshi, etc.

Mei Diaoding(1839-1906), surname as Naiweng, also named "Youzhu", he was bom in Cixi, Zhejiang Province, stydied the calligraphy style of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. What he made the teapots were cooperated with Wang Etongshi and Yunshi, such as Neiweng melon teapot, waves taper teapot, high plinth teapot, etc.

If the Zhening Yucheng kiln sites were placed at Cixi can be proved, we will find that this kind of kiln also produced famous purple clay teapots except the Yixing in the late-Qing Dynasty.