Handmade Yuan Zhu Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dahongpao Clay, 180ml
This is a 180 ml yuan zhu teapot in Dahongpao Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 圆珠.
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 Yuan Zhu form (圆珠) dates to the traditional. A true sphere with a bead knob — the simplest statement available in the craft, and therefore one of the hardest to make convincingly. Nowhere to hide. Any deviation from round shows immediately.
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. At 180 ml this fills three or four cups at once — enough for guests without moving to a full teapot. Best suited to dancong, yancha and high-fragrance oolong.
This pot. Catalogue no. 096, 180 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 杨海鹏. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.
| Clay | Dahongpao Clay (大红袍) |
|---|---|
| Form | Yuan Zhu (圆珠) |
| Capacity | 180 ml |
| Craft | Fully handmade (全手工) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 096 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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Or browse every Dahongpao pot · the full Yixing catalogue.