Care, collecting and safety

Teaware lasts a long time if you wash and dry it properly. An old piece gets checked for authenticity before you buy it, and a new painted one for what its glaze can release into the tea.

Porcelain and glass can be washed with soap and a sponge, but unglazed clay gets plain water only. Zisha pores take in tea and detergent alike: under GB/T 10816-2024 the clay may absorb up to 6% water. Raising a teapot, or yang hu, comes down to drying it every day: empty the leaf, rinse the pot and dry it with the lid off, and rest it for a few days after 10–15 days of use.

Collecting starts with attribution: when, where and by whom a piece was made, and whether the inscription is genuine. A mark on the base proves nothing. Age is read from the body, glaze, foot and shape, and the most commonly faked detail is the potter's seal. Prices can be enormous: a Chenghua "chicken cup" sold for HK$281.24 million in 2014.

Teaware safety is judged by what leaches into the water. The risks are lead and cadmium in glazes and overglaze enamels, especially with hot or acidic liquids, and zisha dyed with barium, manganese, cobalt and chromium. In a sample of 32 pieces, zisha from pure ore released no lead. Limits vary widely: Chinese and ISO standards allow up to 0.5 mg/L of lead from a cup over 24 hours, the EU directive up to 4.0 mg/L.