A petite handmade Yixing teapot in the softly rounded Longdan form, shaped from Zhaozhuang Zhuni clay for intimate Gongfu tea.

A Form Reduced to Its Essence

Round.

Compact.

Almost elemental.

The Longdan Yixing Teapot is defined by one of the simplest ideas in classical teapot design: a body whose fullness recalls the natural form of an egg.

Known as Longdan — 龙蛋, or “Dragon Egg,” the form is smooth and contained, allowing proportion rather than decoration to give the vessel its character.

This petite interpretation is made from Zhaozhuang Zhuni (赵庄朱泥) clay and holds approximately 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz.

A small pot for slow tea.

Nothing more than it needs to be.

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At a Glance

• Handmade Yixing Zisha teapot
• Traditional Longdan / 龙蛋 form
• Zhaozhuang Zhuni / 赵庄朱泥 clay
• Approx. 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz
• Petite xiaopin teapot format
• Designed for Gongfu tea
• Particularly suited to solo tea sessions
• Soft, rounded silhouette

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The Longdan Form · 龙蛋

Longdan — 龙蛋 literally means Dragon Egg.

The name captures the essential character of the form remarkably well.

The body is rounded and compact, with a sense of continuous volume rather than strong angles or architectural lines.

There is little ornament required.

Instead, attention moves toward proportion:

the fullness of the body,

the placement of the lid,

the transition into the spout,

and the relationship between pot and handle.

The simpler the form appears, the more these details matter.

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Longdan, Xishi or Wendan?

At first glance, all three can appear relatively rounded.

Look more closely and their personalities begin to separate.

Xishi feels soft and graceful, its rounded body integrated into a familiar classical silhouette.

Wendan carries a fuller, gently tapering presence.

Longdan moves closer to the purity of an oval or egg-like volume.

These differences can be subtle.

That subtlety is precisely what makes exploring traditional Yixing forms so rewarding.

The function remains tea.

The character changes through proportion.

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Zhaozhuang Zhuni · 赵庄朱泥

This teapot is described as being made from Zhaozhuang Zhuni (赵庄朱泥).

Rather than simplifying the material to a generic “red clay,” we retain its traditional name.

Within the vocabulary of Yixing pottery, the stated clay type forms part of the identity of a teapot alongside its shape, capacity and method of construction.

For this Longdan, the warm visual character of Zhuni pairs naturally with the small, rounded body.

The result feels intimate before tea has even been added.

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100 ml: Small by Intention

Capacity: approximately 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz

For someone accustomed to conventional Western teapots, 100 ml may appear exceptionally small.

For Gongfu tea, that smallness has purpose.

A smaller vessel allows you to prepare less tea in each round and return to the leaves more frequently.

Particularly Suited To

Solo Gongfu tea
A natural capacity for one person.

Repeated infusions
Smaller rounds encourage you to follow the tea as it develops.

Concentrated brewing
Useful for tea drinkers who intentionally work with smaller volumes.

Tea for two
Possible when using very small Gongfu cups.

The pot is not designed to serve a table.

It is designed to keep you close to the tea.

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Made to Rest in the Hand

Longdan is a particularly tactile form.

Its rounded body naturally invites handling, and at only 100 ml, the scale reinforces that intimacy.

Hold the pot.

Turn it slowly.

Look at how the silhouette changes from profile to three-quarter view.

With almost no decorative interruption, the form becomes the decoration.

This is one reason a small Longdan can feel surprisingly complete.

It does not need to be large to have presence.

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One Pot, Many Infusions

Warm the pot.

Add the leaves.

Pour.

Decant.

Taste.

Then return.

The small capacity keeps each infusion close to the next.

The leaves begin to open.

Aroma changes.

Texture develops.

What was dominant in the first infusion may soften by the fourth.

The vessel remains small enough that attention never travels far from the process.

Art of Quiet Living.

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Details

Product: Yixing Zisha Teapot
Form: Longdan / 龙蛋
Clay: Zhaozhuang Zhuni / 赵庄朱泥
Origin: Yixing, China
Craft: Handmade

Capacity

Approx. 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz

Recommended For

Gongfu tea
Solo tea sessions
Small-volume brewing
Repeated infusions
Yixing teapot collecting

As this is a handmade teapot, subtle variations in clay tone, surface and finishing may naturally occur.

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Living With Yixing Clay

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

After brewing, remove the leaves and rinse the interior.

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

Avoid strongly scented detergents unless specifically recommended by the maker.

Protect the teapot from impacts and sudden temperature changes.

Over time, repeated use allows the pot to become a familiar part of the tea ritual.

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A Note on Handmade Character

This teapot is described by the maker as handmade.

Subtle differences between individual pieces may naturally occur.

We recommend examining close-up photographs of the:

Clay Surface · Lid · Spout · Handle · Base

For a form as restrained as Longdan, these details are particularly important.

There is very little decoration to distract from the quality of the underlying shape.

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Designed to Be Gifted

A 100 ml Longdan is a particularly thoughtful gift for someone who already enjoys Gongfu tea—or someone beginning to understand the pleasure of smaller brewing vessels.

Its appeal does not depend on elaborate ornament.

It comes from something simpler:

a rounded form,

warm clay,

a comfortable scale,

and the possibility of hundreds of tea sessions to come.

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Curator's Note

Longdan is one of those forms that looks almost too simple until you place it beside another Yixing teapot.

Then its character becomes clearer.

Where Shipiao creates tension through lines and Qin Quan through visual weight, Longdan is almost entirely about volume.

At 100 ml, that purity becomes even more concentrated.

For a quiet solo tea session, we would not make it larger.