Handmade Xi Shi Yixing Zisha Teapot

This style of teapot with its elegant shape and natural beauty takes its name (Xi Shi, 西施) from one of the four great mythological beauties of ancient China, and is a classic and first choice for Zisha teapots. A common Chinese saying proclaims that “in the eyes of a lover, Xi Shi appears”: this phrase can be taken to mean that, no matter a person’s actual appearance or how they may look to others, to someone who loves them they will be as beautiful as Xi Shi. From this, it is said that every lover of tea and Zisha teapots has a Xi Shi in their heart.

Xi Shi teapots are among the most classic and easily recognized types of Zisha pots, with a full, plump lid and rounded spherical twist of the body, allowing the pot to be easily handled. The caliber at the mouth is convenient both for holding the tea during brewing as well as for a cleaning aid after the session. All in all, Xi Shi pots tend to be small and exquisite, delicately shaped with their small mouths and beautiful inverted handles.

Because it is made from zhuni, this teapot is a rich red color with a slightly orange hue, and a smooth, soft surface. The style of the teapot is simple and understated, yet at the same time quaint and elegant; the material has a distinctive double-pore surface with tiny corrugations, allowing the teapot to both breathe and to hold in the fragrances and tastes of tea brewed with it.

Note: make sure to “preheat” or warm the teapot before using it to brew, by pouring warm water into and over it before the water for your tea. Zhuni does not react well to quick changes in temperature.

Sun Wen is a young female potter born in Dingshu Village, Yixing in Jiangsu Province, an area famous for its pottery. Her parents are experienced craftsmen of the discipline, and served as inspiration for her interest in the art of Yixing purple clay from her childhood. She has always studied hard in order to improve and advance her own workmanship, eventually establishing a quaint, elegant style of her own, including words and pictures carved into the teapot to enhance its meaning.

Yixing County is known as the Pottery Capital of China for its extensive 6500-year history of the craft. The area boasts abundant resources of argil, tea, bamboo, and charcoal, each of which contributes an important base material for the making of pottery. Yixing Zisha products have earned countless prizes both at home in China as well as abroad, with a few exceptional works presented as national gifts during international diplomacy.