A petite handmade Yixing teapot in the graceful Xishi form, shaped from Benshan Luni clay for intimate Gongfu tea sessions.

Softness in Form

Rounded, balanced and quietly graceful, the Xishi Yixing Teapot is a softer expression of the classical Zisha tradition.

This petite version is handmade from Benshan Luni (本山绿泥) clay and holds approximately 120 ml / 4.1 fl oz—a compact capacity particularly suited to solo Gongfu tea and smaller shared sessions.

Unlike the stronger geometry of Shipiao or the upright balance of Gongdeng, Xishi is defined by curves.

The body feels full.

The lines remain gentle.

And at 120 ml, the entire form rests comfortably within the intimacy of the hand.

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At a Glance

• Handmade Yixing Zisha teapot
• Traditional Xishi (西施) form
• Benshan Luni / 本山绿泥 clay
• Approx. 120 ml / 4.1 fl oz
• Approx. 9 × 6.8 × 6 cm / 3.5 × 2.7 × 2.4 in
• Petite xiaopin teapot format
• Designed for Gongfu-style tea preparation
• Particularly suited to solo and intimate tea sessions

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Why This Piece

The Xishi form has an immediate softness.

Its body is rounded rather than angular, with the surrounding elements composed around that central volume.

There is a sense of fullness without heaviness.

At a smaller scale, those qualities become even more apparent.

The 120 ml capacity keeps the pot intimate, while Benshan Luni gives the piece a material identity quite different from the warmer Zhuni and deeper Zini pieces elsewhere in the collection.

For someone building a collection around both classical Yixing forms and different clay traditions, this Xishi introduces a particularly gentle counterpoint.

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The Xishi Form

Xishi — 西施 is one of the most recognizable names among traditional Yixing teapot forms.

Its character is defined primarily by curves.

A rounded body establishes the centre of the composition, while the lid, spout and handle are balanced around it.

Where Ziye Shipiao feels architectural and grounded, and Gongdeng feels composed and symmetrical, Xishi feels softer and more organic.

That apparent simplicity places great importance on proportion.

If the body becomes too full, the pot can feel heavy.

If the spout or handle becomes too dominant, the balance disappears.

When these relationships work together, Xishi has an effortless quality—as though the form could hardly have been otherwise.

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Benshan Luni · 本山绿泥

This teapot is described as being made from Benshan Luni (本山绿泥), a clay name belonging to the vocabulary of Yixing Zisha.

We deliberately retain the traditional term rather than reducing it simply to “green clay.”

The word 绿泥 — Luni can be misleading when interpreted literally by someone unfamiliar with Yixing pottery: it does not mean that the finished teapot should necessarily appear bright green.

For this reason, the actual product photography should be used to represent the fired colour faithfully rather than digitally pushing the clay toward a greener tone.

The material should look as it actually is.

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120 ml: Made for Intimate Tea

Capacity: approximately 120 ml / 4.1 fl oz

This is a deliberately small teapot.

For One

120 ml is particularly comfortable for solo Gongfu sessions and repeated infusions.

For Two

With smaller Gongfu cups, the pot can also be shared between two people.

For Repeated Infusions

The smaller volume encourages the tea to be brewed in multiple rounds rather than prepared as one large serving.

For someone accustomed to Western-style teapots, 120 ml may initially seem very small.

Within Gongfu tea, that intimacy is part of the experience.

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A Different Expression of Yixing

Place this Xishi beside a Shipiao and the difference becomes immediately apparent.

One is constructed through stronger lines and a lower stance.

The other seems almost entirely composed from curves.

That variety is part of what makes traditional Yixing forms so interesting.

They are all teapots.

They perform essentially the same function.

Yet subtle changes in body, proportion, spout, handle and lid can give each one an entirely different personality.

Xishi is among the gentlest.

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Made for Gongfu Tea

Warm the pot.

Add the leaves.

Pour the water.

Decant completely.

Taste.

Then return for another infusion.

At 120 ml, each round remains small enough that the tea session naturally becomes a sequence.

The leaves change.

The liquor changes.

And with each return to the pot, its small proportions begin to feel increasingly natural.

This is a vessel made not simply to hold tea, but to become part of its rhythm.

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Details

Product: Yixing Zisha Teapot
Form: Xishi / 西施
Clay: Benshan Luni / 本山绿泥
Origin: Yixing, China
Craft: Handmade

Capacity

Approx. 120 ml / 4.1 fl oz

Dimensions

Approx. 9 × 6.8 × 6 cm
Approx. 3.5 × 2.7 × 2.4 in

Recommended For

Gongfu tea
Solo tea sessions
Tea for two
Repeated infusions
Small-volume brewing

As this is a handmade teapot, subtle variations may occur between individual pieces.

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Living With Yixing Clay

Before first use, rinse the teapot carefully with clean water.

After each tea session, remove the leaves and rinse the interior.

Allow the teapot to dry completely with the lid removed before storing.

Avoid strongly scented detergents unless specifically recommended by the maker, as residues may interfere with later tea sessions.

Protect the pot from impacts and sudden temperature changes.

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A Note on Handmade Character

Handmade Yixing pottery should not be expected to have the absolute mechanical uniformity of industrial ceramics.

Subtle differences in clay tone, surface and hand-finished details may occur.

When choosing your pot, look closely at:

Clay Surface · Lid · Spout · Handle · Base

These details are particularly important when evaluating a restrained classical form such as Xishi.

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Made for Quiet Tea

Xishi does not rely on ornament.

Its character comes from something more difficult to describe:

the fullness of the body,

the softness of a curve,

the relationship between spout and handle,

and the feeling of a small teapot resting naturally within the hand.

Fill it with tea and those decisions begin to make sense.

Art of Quiet Living.

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Curator's Note

Among the classical forms currently in our Yixing collection, Xishi brings the softest visual language.

Wendan is rounded but more structured.

Ziye Shipiao is low and architectural.

Dezhong is restrained and grounded.

Gongdeng is balanced and upright.

Xishi is defined by softness.

At 120 ml, that rounded form becomes particularly intimate—an excellent scale for someone who most often prepares Gongfu tea alone.