Handmade Aili Yixing Zisha Teapot – Baiyu Duanni Clay, 100ml

This is a 100 ml pear-shaped teapot in Baiyu Duanni Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 矮梨.

The clay. The palest of the duanni family, firing to a near-white jade tone. The most delicate-looking body in the catalogue, and the one that shows a patina most plainly.

The form. The Pear-Shaped form (梨形) dates to the late Ming to early Qing, attributed to the Mengchen lineage. A classic small zhuni form: narrow above, full below, like a ripe pear hanging on the branch, with a high neck and short spout. Related to sitting, wendan and xishi, but with more of the weight of real fruit low in the body.

How it was made. Built entirely by hand — the wall is beaten out from a slab and joined without a mould. Inside the body you can still read the tool marks and the joint line, which is how the method is verified.

Size and tea. 100 ml is the classic gongfu size — comfortable for one drinker or two sharing small cups, and the volume most Chaoshan-style brewing was built around. Best suited to green tea, white tea and light oolong.

One honest note on duanni-family clays: because the body is pale and very open, dark and heavily roasted teas can leave uneven marks if the pot is handled with oily hands or left wet. Rinse it, dry it, and keep it to lighter teas and it will come up beautifully.

This pot. Catalogue no. 326, 100 ml, US$399. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by an independent Dingshu potter working outside the titled-master system. We do not attach a name we cannot verify.

New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.

Similar teapots

• Pear-Shaped Yixing Zisha Teapot — Aged Duanni Clay, 120 ml, $350
• Handmade Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot — Baiyu Duanni Clay, 120 ml, $500
• Xiang Yun Duan Yixing Zisha Teapot — Baiyu Duanni Clay, 100 ml, $450

Or browse every Baiyu Duanni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.