Lianzi Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zhuni Clay, 100ml

This is a 100 ml lianzi teapot in Zhuni Clay, clay-painted, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 莲子.

The clay. Very high in iron, fired to a bright vermilion, and dense enough to ring when the lid is tapped. Zhuni shrinks by up to twenty percent in the kiln, so a large share of every batch cracks — the Yixing saying is that a zhuni pot without wrinkles is not zhuni. Dense and low-porosity, so it holds aroma at the surface instead of absorbing it. This is the clay that makes fragrant teas smell like themselves.

The form. The Lianzi form (莲子) dates to the Ming dynasty, attributed to from the lotus-seed jar. Shaped like a full lotus seed, descended from Ming lotus-seed jars. The lotus rises clean out of the mud — the form carries that reading, and a pun on sons and continuity. Upright, plain and rounded. In continuous use since the Ming.

How it was made. Nihui — painting in liquid clay slip on the raw body, building the image in low relief before firing.

Size and tea. 100 ml is the classic gongfu size — comfortable for one drinker or two sharing small cups, and the volume most Chaoshan-style brewing was built around. Best suited to oolong, dancong and green tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 044, 100 ml, US$150. 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 Ling Zhu Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 110 ml, $240
• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 80 ml, $150
• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 80 ml, $150

Or browse every Zhuni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.