Handmade Mei Ren Jian Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dahongpao Clay, 120ml

This is a 120 ml mei ren jian teapot in Dahongpao Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 美人肩.

The clay. The top grade of zhuni — an intensely red ore, scarce, and so prone to shrinkage that most of a kiln load is lost. The pots that survive are vivid and even. The most aroma-forward clay in the catalogue. Nothing is absorbed; everything is thrown forward into the cup.

The form. The Mei Ren Jian form (美人肩) dates to the Qing dynasty. 'Beauty's shoulder' — the line from the neck out across the shoulder and down is the whole point of the form, and it is taken from the way a robe falls on a woman's shoulder. Tall, narrow-necked and softly sloped. Unforgiving of any flat spot in the curve.

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. 120 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 dancong, yancha and high-fragrance oolong.

This pot. Catalogue no. 085, 120 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 王婷. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.

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

Similar teapots

• Handmade Aili Yixing Zisha Teapot — Dahongpao Clay, 140 ml, $85
• Handmade Jun De Yixing Zisha Teapot — Dahongpao Clay, 140 ml, $85
• Handmade Xishi Yixing Zisha Teapot — Dahongpao Clay, 140 ml, $85

Or browse every Dahongpao pot · the full Yixing catalogue.