Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 130ml

This is a 130 ml hanwa teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, hand-carved, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 汉瓦.

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 Hanwa form (汉瓦) dates to the Qing dynasty. Modelled on Han-dynasty roof-end tiles, which were stamped with auspicious phrases such as 'may joy never end'. The body is cylindrical with flat shoulders and a straight wall. Firm, architectural lines. Takes a patina in a way that brings out an almost metallic depth.

How it was made. Decoration cut into the leather-hard clay by hand with a steel blade, in the Yixing engraving tradition that goes back to Chen Mansheng's collaborations with potters.

Size and tea. 130 ml serves two to three people from a single fill, which makes it the most generally useful size on a tea table. 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. 447, 130 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.

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