Zhu Ni (Red Clay / Hong Ni) — genuine Yixing Zisha
Craft
Semi-handmade by Yixing artisans
Capacity
150–160ml (Small)
Best for
Fragrant Oolong, Wuyi rock tea and Pu-erh
What size is this teapot? A gongfu size guide
Traditional Yixing gongfu teapots are small by design — you brew a little, steep it many times, and read how the tea changes. Smaller pots are the connoisseur's choice, and often the finer, pricier ones.
Mini
80–120 ml
Solo drinking / savouring aroma
Smallthis pot
120–160 ml
1–2 people
Medium
160–200 ml
2–3 people
Large / Sharing
200 ml +
Sharing with several people
This teapot's clay: Zhu Ni (Red Clay)
A dense, fine red clay with a high-density, double-pore body that concentrates and lifts aroma and heats quickly — it noticeably boosts fragrance and makes the brew mellow and smooth. Best for high-aroma teas such as Oolong, Wuyi rock tea and Pu-erh. Because zisha takes on a tea's character over time, the tradition is one pot, one tea.
About the Palace Lantern shape
Palace Lantern (Gong Deng) is a classic Yixing zisha teapot shape modelled on a traditional Chinese palace lantern — a tall, full, gracefully tapered body with a poised, elegant silhouette. This one is semi-handmade in Yixing. Also known as a purple sand teapot.
Best tea for a Zhu Ni Red Clay Teapot
As a Zhu Ni red-clay pot, its high density and double-pore structure lift fragrance beautifully and make the brew fuller and smoother. Pair it with a fragrant Oolong — Wuyi rock tea, Tie Guan Yin or Phoenix Dan Cong — or a Pu-erh. Keep steeps short and quick to catch the aroma at its best.
Hand-made vs semi-handmade Yixing Zisha Teapots
Fully hand-made Zisha Teapots involve a long, complex craft, so their prices are naturally very high. Fully machine-made pots sit at the other extreme — mass-produced and, to our eye, without soul.
To find teapots that are a genuine pleasure to use, finely detailed, yet not overly costly, we chose semi-handmade Yixing Zisha Teapots — the body is shaped with the help of a mould, then the details are carved and finished entirely by hand. You keep the refined craftsmanship while the price stays fair. We do not sell fully machine-made teapots.
Whether semi-handmade or fully hand-made, every teapot we carry is made from genuine, natural Yixing Zisha ore clay — nothing artificial in the material.
