Handmade Pan Hu Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zipao Yusha Clay, 120ml

This is a 120 ml pan hu teapot in Zipao Yusha Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 元宝潘壶.

The clay. Zini blended with fine sand, so the fired body carries visible grain against a settled purple ground — the name means 'purple robe, jade sand'. The sand adds texture without costing breathability. A pot that stays interesting to look at as it ages.

The form. The Pan Hu form (潘壶) dates to the mid-Qing, attributed to commissioned by Pan Shicheng. Commissioned by the Guangdong official Pan Shicheng and stamped 'Pan' on the base. The Pan family gave them as dowry pieces — hu puns on fu, good fortune — so they were traditionally given in pairs. Small, neat and domestic. Made in taller and shorter proportions.

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. 120 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 pu-erh, black tea and roasted oolong.

This pot. Catalogue no. 069, 120 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 秦长明. 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 Zhu Chu Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zipao Yusha Clay, 150 ml, $85
• Handmade Fanggu Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zipao Yusha Clay, 160 ml, $85
• Handmade Flat-Lid Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot — Zipao Yusha Clay, 160 ml, $85

Or browse every Zipao Yusha pot · the full Yixing catalogue.