The Old Smith Smashed His Purple Clay Teapot And Regained His Peaceful Life

By Jason Jia

This is a real-life story. A poor ironsmith was unexpectedly offered 25,000 US dollars for his small purple clay teapot! But in the end he made a 'crazy' decision. Is he crazy or something? Can we ever understand what he really wanted?

Here, our leading character is an elderly ironsmith. He opened a forge shop on an old street, and the shop is also his home. He runs his business in a very traditional way: he never shouts to those who go by or bargains with his customers. And he never closes the shutters at night.

Everyone who passes by his shop sees him waiting on his bamboo chair, a small radio in his hand, and a Yixing purple clay teapot at his side. His income is just enough for his food and tea. He is getting so old that he does not need any extra things, so he is very content with his simple life.

One day, a teapot dealer passed by the forge shop by chance. Suddenly his face brightened up as he caught sight of the Yixing purple clay teapot sitting beside the ironsmith. It was ink-black, and looked very quaint and graceful. This style made the merchant think of Dai Zhengong, one of the most famous purple clay teapot makers in Chinese history.

The merchant could not help coming up to the ironsmith. He took up the teapot, and looked at it carefully. At the base of the spout, he found a small inscription with the name 'Dai Zhengong.' The merchant was pleased beyond expectation, for he knew clearly that each of the artist's works was more valuable than its weight in gold.

And reputedly, only three of Dai's purple clay teapots were still around: one was in New York, the second in Taiwan, and the third in the hands of a private collector.

The dealer offered 100,000 RMB (about USD $14,700) to buy this pot. The old blacksmith got a big surprise when he heard the amount, but in the end he declined. For the pot was passed down in his family, three generations had brewed tea in this pot.

The ironsmith suffered insomnia for the first time in his life after the merchant was gone. Over the past sixty years, he had been brewing tea with this purple clay pot day after day. He always thought it was an ordinary teapot, but now it is strange that someone wanted to purchase it at such an incredible price! It was totally beyond his imagination and understanding.

Previously, he constantly enjoyed tea without a thought to his pot. But now he sits up to take a look at it now and then. This makes him very uncomfortable. The most unendurable thing to him is that people start pouring in to ask whether or not he has other treasures, and some even want to borrow money from him. And what is more, some push in his door at night. His life is utterly disarranged. He doesn't know how to deal with this teapot.

Several days passed, and the curio dealer appeared once again. This time, he doubled his offer in cash for the pot. The old smith could stand it no longer. He called up his neighbors, and in front of them he smashed the pot.

These days, the aged ironsmith is over one hundred years old. He is still running his small business.

The Chinese wisdom of life: For those who really enjoy their lives, anything superfluous is unnecessary. Most people will not be burdened with this kind of foolish parcel.

About the Author:

Specialist J. Jia has studied Chinese pottery, paintings, and other art such as Chinese teapots for most of his life. Occasionally, he endorses the work of certain potters. View some fine Yixing teapots here.