Rongtian Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zhuni Clay, 60ml

This is a 60 ml rongtian teapot in Zhuni Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 容天.

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 Rongtian form (容天) dates to the contemporary, attributed to Lü Yaochen. From the couplet about Maitreya — a belly big enough to hold what the world cannot. Round, wide and low. Generous capacity and a fast, clean pour. Cheerful rather than austere.

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 oolong, dancong and green tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 036, 60 ml, US$120. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 杨婷. 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

• Han Jiang Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 90 ml, $120
• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 50 ml, $85
• Aili Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zhuni Clay, 80 ml, $85

Or browse every Zhuni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.