Duoqiu Teapot

PRODUCT STORY

The Duoqiu (掇球) form is built from three spheres — body, lid, and knob — set one above the other. It comes from the Yixing tradition and has been made for close to two centuries. It is a benchmark shape: the proportions are fully exposed, and there is nowhere to hide a mistake. Get one sphere wrong and the whole pot looks off. It's the form potters use to show what they can actually do.

This one is made in Chaozhou, in zhuni — the red clay dug locally here — and thrown by hand on the wheel in the Chaozhou way.

It is fully hand-thrown. No mould is used at any stage. The body is pulled up from a spinning lump of clay; the spout, handle, and lid are then cut, shaped, and fitted by hand. The lid is fitted to this pot and no other. It will not fit another.

Zhuni shrinks heavily in the kiln, and pots crack, warp, and go out of round on the way through — of any batch, six or seven in ten come out usable. The rest go back.

At 120 ml and 80 g, the pot is small and light. Thin walls are one of the things hand-throwing buys you, and the reason a good zhuni pot rings when you set the lid down. 120 ml pours about four small gongfu cups — the size most people use for dancong or oolong: short steeps, poured out completely, refilled often.

WHY FULLY HAND-THROWN MATTERS

Shaped from start to finish at the wheel by Cai Danjie, each pot demands sustained control of the clay, followed by careful cutting, fitting, and refinement. Nothing is mechanically repeated: the proportions, balance, lid fit, and pouring character belong to this individual pot. Small variations are not flaws, but the visible record of the maker’s hand.

ARTISAN & CERTIFICATE

Cai Danjie has worked at the wheel in Chaozhou since 1999, under the studio name Hexing Tang (合兴堂). In 2024 he was certified in ceramic techniques under Guangdong Province's professional title system. Every pot leaves his workshop with a collection card he fills in and signs by hand — form, clay, capacity, date made, and number.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Form: Duoqiu (掇球) teapot
Material: Zhuni clay, locally sourced in Chaozhou
Craft method: Fully hand-thrown by Cai Danjie, no mould
Color: Warm red
Capacity: 120 ml
Height: 7 cm
Mouth diameter: 4 cm
Weight: 80 g
Wall thickness: 1.5–2 mm
Firing temperature: at least 1,140°C (2,084°F)
Full-pot pour time: approximately 14 seconds
Filter holes: 7
Place of production: Chaozhou, Guangdong, China

WHAT IS INCLUDED

One teapot and one signed maker's collection card, completed by hand. Bowls, cups, trays, books, and other styling props shown in the photographs are not included.

CARE

Rinse with warm water before first use. Avoid detergent, dishwashers, and sudden temperature changes. Let the pot dry completely with the lid removed after each use.

Zhuni darkens and gains a soft sheen with years of use. That change is normal and is considered part of the pot.

Please note: hand-thrown teaware varies in colour, shape, and finish from piece to piece. No two come out the same. That is the point.

THE MAKER

Thrown by hand by Cai Danjie (蔡淡杰) in Chaozhou, Guangdong. He holds the intermediate professional title of Craft Artist (工艺美术师) in Ceramic Arts, conferred in August 2024 by the Jieyang Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Guangdong Province. Certificate No. 2452003010242.

→ Read more about Cai Danjie