In his article "Purple Clay New Works Radiate Spring Glory — A Brief Discussion on the Origins of Yixing Pottery," published in the *Hong Kong New Asia College Anniversary Art Journal* by the Art Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Mr. Ye Rongzhi proposed that the term "purple clay" (zini) refers to Jian'yang rabbit hair glaze rather than purple sand clay (zisha). This argument can be more clearly confirmed from the verse "green spring with rice-grain eyes" in Cai Xiang's poem "Ten Odes to the Imperial Garden: Tea Tasting" from the Northern Song Dynasty, as well as from Mei Yaochen's poetry where "purple clay" is mentioned. ## Elite Talents Across Generations Beginning in the Ming Dynasty, scholars and literati began systematic documentation of purple sand pottery. Zhou Gaoqi's *Yangxian Minghu Xi* (Yangxian Famous Teapot System), finalized slightly before the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen reign (1640) as estimated by Wan Guoyi, is the earliest surviving specialized work on purple sand pottery. It contains relatively detailed records and discussions ranging from the legendary origins of purple sand teaware by the "temple monk" and Gong Chun, to the transmission among famous masters of various schools, to the technical characteristics of early artists such as Shi Dabin, Li Zhongfang, Ou Zhengchun, and Chen Zhongmei. Particularly noteworthy are the descriptions of the legendary "Jinchi Temple monk," Gong Chun, and technical characteristics such as "selecting fine clay, refining it through agitation, molding it into a body, making it round and hollow inside," "the body of the pot is made separately as tile sections, then closed and placed in a pottery kiln," and "attaching spouts, handles, and lids," as well as the evolutionary process. These fully demonstrate that the production and firing techniques of purple sand pottery were gradually becoming systematized during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty and developing in a scientific and rational direction. From the "Three-Legged Dabin Ruyi Pot" unearthed in 1984 at Xiaotang Village, Ganlu Township, Wuxi, dating to the second year of Chongzhen (1629) and made by the famous potter Shi Dabin, we can see that the body of the pot already shows visible clay slab joining seams and marks from beating the cylindrical body. These distinctive production traces fully reflect that Ming Dynasty purple sand craftsmanship had become increasingly mature and stable, approaching modern techniques. Subsequently, specialized works such as *Yixing Porcelain Teapot Record* (by Zhou Rong), *Yangxian Famous Pottery Rhapsody* (by Wu Meizhuo), and *Yangxian Famous Pottery Record* (by Wu Sai) were published one after another, providing valuable historical materials for purple sand research. The production of purple sand pottery achieved substantial development and progress in the early Qing Dynasty, establishing a handicraft production system that aligned with its own technical characteristics. Purple sand wares not only received widespread favor among common people but also entered the imperial palace. Beginning in the Kangxi reign, craftsmen from the Imperial Workshops processed Yixing purple sand bodies by applying enamel or carved red lacquer techniques. During the Yongzheng period, Yixing teapots officially became models for Jingdezhen official kilns.