Zui Qing Huan Yixing Zisha Teapot – Duanni Clay, 180ml

This is a 180 ml zisha teapot in Duanni Clay, relief appliqué decorated, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 醉清欢.

The clay. A co-formed ore of zini and green clay, firing to a satin yellow. Duanni is strongly sandy — more bone than flesh, as potters put it — and among the most breathable bodies in Yixing. Very open. It suits delicate teas where you want lift and clarity rather than weight.

The form. The piece is called 醉清欢, and the modelling is built around that idea. Naturalistic work — huaqi — takes its subject from the living world: gourds, pine, bamboo, lotus, fruit, animals. It descends directly from Gongchun's tree-burl pot, the founding object of the craft. Each piece is modelled and carved rather than turned, so no two come out the same.

How it was made. Modelled elements formed separately and applied to the body while the clay is still damp.

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 green tea, raw pu-erh and white tea.

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. 272, 180 ml, US$400. 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

• Handmade Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot — Duanni Clay, 150 ml, $358
• Handmade Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot — Duanni Clay, 200 ml, $500
• Handmade Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot — Duanni Clay, 150 ml, $350

Or browse every Duanni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.