{"product_id":"zisha-teapot-zhu-ni-ni-hui-qie-gua-042","title":"Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zhuni Clay, 80ml – No. 042","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a 80 ml qie gua teapot in Zhuni Clay, clay-painted, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 茄瓜.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe clay.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe form.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Qie Gua form (茄段) dates to the traditional. Modelled on an aubergine — a soft, tapering body with a rounded shoulder. Between a plain form and a naturalistic one: recognisably a vegetable, but restrained.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow it was made.\u003c\/strong\u003e Nihui — painting in liquid clay slip on the raw body, building the image in low relief before firing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize and tea.\u003c\/strong\u003e At 80 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 oolong, dancong and green tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis pot.\u003c\/strong\u003e Catalogue no. 042, 80 ml, US$150. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMade by 陈敬. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eClay\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eZhuni Clay (朱泥)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eForm\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eQie Gua (茄瓜)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eCapacity\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e80 ml\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eCraft\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eClay-painted (泥绘)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eOrigin\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eCatalogue no.\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e042\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew to zisha? Read \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/journal\/how-to-season-a-yixing-teapot\"\u003ehow to season a Yixing teapot\u003c\/a\u003e before first use.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSimilar teapots\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zisha-teapot-zhu-ni-ke-hui-mei-ren-jian-039\"\u003eMei Ren Jian Yixing Zisha Teapot\u003c\/a\u003e — Zhuni Clay, 90 ml, $150\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zisha-teapot-zhu-ni-ke-hui-mei-ren-jian-038\"\u003eMei Ren Jian Yixing Zisha Teapot\u003c\/a\u003e — Zhuni Clay, 90 ml, $150\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zisha-teapot-zhu-ni-han-jiang-035\"\u003eHan Jiang Yixing Zisha Teapot\u003c\/a\u003e — Zhuni Clay, 90 ml, $120\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr browse \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/zhuni-yixing-teapots\"\u003eevery Zhuni pot\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/yixing-zisha-teapots\"\u003ethe full Yixing catalogue\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yihu Yike","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45837635977263,"sku":"YHYK-0042","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/8676\/5615\/files\/qie-gua-zhuni-clay-yixing-zisha-teapot-042-01_cccd6941-5177-4abf-ac77-1dca755c83a8.jpg?v=1787071546","url":"https:\/\/yixingzishateapot.com\/products\/zisha-teapot-zhu-ni-ni-hui-qie-gua-042","provider":"Yihu Yike","version":"1.0","type":"link"}