Shipiao Yixing Teapot: Shape, Origin and 17 Real Examples

The Shipiao (石瓢) is the Yixing teapot built on a triangle. Seen from the side, the body is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, the weight sits low, and the spout, handle and knob all repeat that same leaning, triangular line.

This guide explains what defines the shape, where it comes from, and how the main variants differ. Every photo below shows an actual Shipiao from our catalogue — 17 pots in total, listed in full at the end.

What defines the shape

The body is an inverted triangle. Narrow at the shoulder, broad at the base, with rounded lines all around and the centre of gravity dropped low. The whole pot should read as one crisp, stable triangular frame.

The lid is flat and pressed in. A Shipiao lid sits flat, almost level with the rim, rather than rising into a dome.

The knob is a bridge. Instead of a ball or a button, the knob is a small arch — a bridge you can pass a finger under.

The spout is short, straight and strong, and is usually joined to the body with a concealed join, so the transition looks continuous. The handle leans in an inverted-triangle direction that balances the spout and the body.

The base stands on three nail feet — three small, evenly spaced feet like a tripod. Turn the pot over and this is the first thing to check.

Where it comes from

The Shipiao as we know it is dated to the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, and is attributed to Chen Mansheng and Yang Pengnian. Gu Jingzhou and Qu Ziye are named as representative makers of the shape, and two of its main variants carry their names.

The variants you will meet

Sources group Shipiao into a few mainstream variants: the Mansheng Shipiao, the slimmer Ziye Shipiao, the fuller Jingzhou Shipiao and the lower Hantang Shipiao. A tall Shipiao (gao shipiao) is another common name. In our own records the Jingzhou form is the most common (5 pots), followed by tall (4) and Ziye (3). A few pots carry the workshop's own names — flat-lid, Gongchun, three-foot and Yongle Shipiao — and we list them exactly as recorded.

What the numbers in our records say

Reference sources describe Shipiao capacities as most often around 150–300 ml, with the full historical range running from about 60 ml to over a litre. Our 17 Shipiao run from 90 ml to 320 ml, with a median of 150 ml — ten of the seventeen hold 150 ml or less. In other words, the Shipiao that are made today for gongfu tea tend to sit at the small end of the traditional range.

Those 17 pots use 12 different clays. Sources name original-ore Dicaoqing, zini and duanni as the usual Shipiao clays, and our records match that pattern: Golden Duanni (4 pots) and Aged Duanni (3) are the most frequent, alongside Dicaoqing, Tianqingni, Aged Zini, Chijin Zini and others.

How to check a Shipiao, in hand or from photos

Read the triangle first. Look at the pot side-on at eye level. The body, spout, handle and knob should share one proportion. If the spout looks borrowed from another pot or the handle is round and upright, the triangle breaks.

Turn it over. The three feet should be evenly spaced and the pot should stand without rocking. If a listing has no photo of the base, ask for one.

Look inside. The filter behind the spout is worth a photo of its own.

Watch it pour. A short straight spout should give a direct, controlled stream that starts and stops cleanly.

A shape that invites carving

The wide, sloping lower body of a Shipiao gives an unusually generous surface, which is why so many carved pots use this shape. Seven of our seventeen are carved: landscapes, bamboo and calligraphy all appear.

All 17 Shipiao in our records

Every pot below has a full photo set on its product page. Click a number to see the full photo set, price and availability.

More shape guides: Xishi, Dezhong, Shipiao, Hanwa, Fanggu, Shuiping, Rongtian, Longdan, Qinquan, Palace Lantern, Gongchun.

Clay guides: Zhuni, Zini, Duanni, Jiangponi.

For clay names, start with Yixing clay types and colours.