Chao Xu Bian Yixing Zisha Teapot – Tianqingni Clay, 60ml

This is a 60 ml xu bian teapot in Tianqingni Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 超虚扁.

The clay. A legendary zini recorded in Ming-dynasty texts and now genuinely scarce. It fires to a deep, quiet blue-green cast with a faint purple glow and a very fine grain. Understated. The appeal is in the restraint — an aged, still quality rather than anything showy.

The form. The Xu Bian form (汲直) dates to the Qing dynasty, Jiaqing–Daoguang era, attributed to Chen Mansheng and Yang Pengnian. One of the eighteen Mansheng forms, named for a vessel for drawing water. A straight cylindrical body, flat shoulders, short and forceful spout. Structural and upright — bone rather than flesh. Reads as clean well water on a tea table.

How it was made. Formed with the help of a mould for the body, with the spout, handle, lid and finishing worked by hand. A well-made half-handmade pot is a good pot; the difference is in labour, not in whether it brews well.

Size and tea. At 60 ml this is a solo pot. One person, short infusions, and the small volume means you can push a good leaf through eight or ten steeps without ever brewing more than you drink. Best suited to aged pu-erh, aged oolong and white tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 051, 60 ml, US$101. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 陈敬. 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 Rongtian Yixing Zisha Teapot — Tianqingni Clay, 140 ml, $85
• Handmade Dezhong Yixing Zisha Teapot — Tianqingni Clay, 140 ml, $85
• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Zhuni Clay, 80 ml, $100

Or browse every Tianqingni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.