Some of the best insights into Chinese culture can be gleaned from the real-life stories that are popular across the mainland. Just like everywhere else in the world, Chinese people will go to great lengths to keep the things they love or take drastic action to avoid a bad situation.
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.
Whenever you go by his shop, you may notice him lying on a reclining chair. He constantly holds a small radio receiver in his hand, and an old Yixing purple clay teapot sits beside him. The money he earns each day is barely sufficient for his tea and food. He seems too old to need anything else, but he feels so happy and satisfied with this kind of plain life.
One afternoon, a curio dealer happened to go by the blacksmith's shop. All of a sudden, he took note of the old-fashioned purple clay teapot sitting by the old smith. It was as jet black, and appeared so elegant and quaint! "Could it be made by Dai Zhengong?" the dealer asked himself with surprise.
The dealer went over to the old blacksmith, and picked up the pot. His eyes fell upon a small stamp on the spout. Sure enough, it was engraved with its creator's name: Dai Zhengong. The dealer was overjoyed, as Dai Zhengong was world famous for 'turning clay into gold' - the purple clay teapots he made cost much more than their weight in gold.
To that point, only three of his pots were known to exist, one in the New York State Museum, another one in the Taiwan Palace Museum, and the third one is in the hands of an overseas Chinese in Thailand.
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 dealer had to go off empty-handed, but the old smith could not rest easy any more. He thought about the matter over and over again, and kept asking himself: What made him want to buy my ordinary teapot for so much money? This question clouded his mind, and he could not make sense of it.
In the past, he used to drink tea lying there, paying no attention to his teapot. At present, however, he sat up and stared at the pot for several minutes. This upset him quite a lot. When it got around that the ironsmith owned a precious purple clay teapot, people kept visiting his shop. Some wondered if he had another valuable thing, and some even asked him to lend money to them. Furthermore, some people would knock on his door late at night asking these questions. His life was thrown into confusion. He had no idea what to do about his pot.
The dealer paid a second visit to his shop offering 200,000 RMB, and the old blacksmith could not take it anymore. He called in some people from his neighborhood, and in their presence he broke his pot into pieces.
At present, the old black smith is 102 years old. He is still selling iron pans, axes, and dog chains.
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.
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.
Whenever you go by his shop, you may notice him lying on a reclining chair. He constantly holds a small radio receiver in his hand, and an old Yixing purple clay teapot sits beside him. The money he earns each day is barely sufficient for his tea and food. He seems too old to need anything else, but he feels so happy and satisfied with this kind of plain life.
One afternoon, a curio dealer happened to go by the blacksmith's shop. All of a sudden, he took note of the old-fashioned purple clay teapot sitting by the old smith. It was as jet black, and appeared so elegant and quaint! "Could it be made by Dai Zhengong?" the dealer asked himself with surprise.
The dealer went over to the old blacksmith, and picked up the pot. His eyes fell upon a small stamp on the spout. Sure enough, it was engraved with its creator's name: Dai Zhengong. The dealer was overjoyed, as Dai Zhengong was world famous for 'turning clay into gold' - the purple clay teapots he made cost much more than their weight in gold.
To that point, only three of his pots were known to exist, one in the New York State Museum, another one in the Taiwan Palace Museum, and the third one is in the hands of an overseas Chinese in Thailand.
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 dealer had to go off empty-handed, but the old smith could not rest easy any more. He thought about the matter over and over again, and kept asking himself: What made him want to buy my ordinary teapot for so much money? This question clouded his mind, and he could not make sense of it.
In the past, he used to drink tea lying there, paying no attention to his teapot. At present, however, he sat up and stared at the pot for several minutes. This upset him quite a lot. When it got around that the ironsmith owned a precious purple clay teapot, people kept visiting his shop. Some wondered if he had another valuable thing, and some even asked him to lend money to them. Furthermore, some people would knock on his door late at night asking these questions. His life was thrown into confusion. He had no idea what to do about his pot.
The dealer paid a second visit to his shop offering 200,000 RMB, and the old blacksmith could not take it anymore. He called in some people from his neighborhood, and in their presence he broke his pot into pieces.
At present, the old black smith is 102 years old. He is still selling iron pans, axes, and dog chains.
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:
Author J. Jia has studied Chinese pottery, paintings, and other art including Yixing teaware for 20+ years. Occasionally, he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. See samples of quality Chinese tea sets here.
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