Handmade Longdan Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 140ml
Handmade Longdan Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 140ml
This is a 140 ml longdan teapot in Zini Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 明式龙蛋.
The clay. Zini is the foundational Yixing clay — purple-brown, mined at Huanglong Mountain, and the most forgiving of all the ores. It is highly plastic, notably porous, and develops a patina faster than most clays. Even-tempered and genuinely versatile. It rounds out a brew rather than sharpening it, which makes it a safe first pot for someone who drinks several kinds of tea.
The form. The Longdan form (龙蛋) dates to the late Ming to early Qing. A smooth, egg-shaped body, named from the old auspicious idea of a dragon's egg. No ornament at all — just a full, taut curve. The purest expression of a plain form.
How it was made. Built entirely by hand — the wall is beaten out from a slab and joined without a mould. Inside the body you can still read the tool marks and the joint line, which is how the method is verified.
Size and tea. 140 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 pu-erh, black tea and aged oolong.
This pot. Catalogue no. 440, 140 ml, US$1000. 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.
| Clay | Zini Clay (紫泥) |
|---|---|
| Form | Longdan (龙蛋) |
| Capacity | 140 ml |
| Craft | Fully handmade (全手工) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 440 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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