Palace Lantern Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 280ml

This is a 280 ml palace lantern teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, wood-fired, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 宫灯.

The clay. The duanni that fires brightest — a clear, luminous gold, with an unusually fine and even grain for the family. Deepens from yellow toward amber as it is used, so the colour of the pot and the colour of the liquor start to answer each other. Best on lighter teas where that can be seen.

The form. The Palace Lantern form (宫灯) dates to the early Qing. Modelled on a palace lantern — a rounded, upright body with a formal, festive bearing. Ceremonial without being heavy. Reads as celebratory on a tea table.

How it was made. Fired in a wood kiln, where flame path and falling ash decide the surface. Every piece comes out of the kiln differently, and none of it can be repeated on purpose.

Size and tea. 280 ml is a sharing pot. It suits a table of four or more, or a long single steep of something you want to drink slowly over an afternoon. Best suited to green tea, raw pu-erh 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. 178, 280 ml, US$120. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 吴建强. 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

• Dezhong Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 230 ml, $120
• Qiu Shui Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 220 ml, $120
• Palace Lantern Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 220 ml, $80

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