Lianzi Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 150ml
Lianzi Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 150ml
This is a 150 ml lianzi teapot in Zini Clay, hand-carved, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 平盖莲子.
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 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. Decoration cut into the leather-hard clay by hand with a steel blade, in the Yixing engraving tradition that goes back to Chen Mansheng's collaborations with potters.
Size and tea. 150 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. 438, 150 ml, US$400. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 刘秀华. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.
| Clay | Zini Clay (紫泥) |
|---|---|
| Form | Lianzi (莲子) |
| Capacity | 150 ml |
| Craft | Hand-carved (刻绘) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 438 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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Or browse every Zini pot · the full Yixing catalogue.
