A fully handmade Yixing teapot in a distinctive Mengchen Xishi form, shaped from Zhaozhuang Zhuni clay in an intimate 110 ml size for Gongfu tea.

A Familiar Form, Turned Slightly Unexpected

At first glance, there is something familiar about this teapot.

The rounded fullness recalls the classical Xishi form.

Look again, and the balance feels different.

This Mengchen Xishi Yixing Teapot introduces a distinctive reversed-handle interpretation—known in Chinese as 倒把—giving the familiar rounded form a subtly unconventional character.

Fully handmade from Zhaozhuang Zhuni (赵庄朱泥) clay, the teapot holds approximately 110 ml / 3.7 fl oz.

Small in scale.

Quiet in expression.

But far from ordinary.

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At a Glance

• Fully handmade Yixing Zisha teapot
• Mengchen Xishi (孟臣西施) form
• Distinctive Daoba / 倒把 handle configuration
• Zhaozhuang Zhuni / 赵庄朱泥 clay
• Approx. 110 ml / 3.7 fl oz
• 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 appeal of this teapot comes from the tension between familiarity and difference.

Xishi is recognized for softness.

Its rounded body creates a sense of fullness and continuity, making it one of the gentler silhouettes within the vocabulary of Yixing forms.

This interpretation disrupts that familiarity just enough.

The Daoba — 倒把 configuration changes the visual relationship between body and handle, giving the teapot a more distinctive profile without relying on surface decoration.

Then there is the scale.

At only 110 ml, the form remains compact enough to sit naturally within the hand and to encourage the repeated, concentrated infusions of Gongfu tea.

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Mengchen Xishi · 孟臣西施

The name Mengchen Xishi brings together two references within Chinese teapot culture.

Xishi — 西施 describes the softly rounded teapot form.

Mengchen — 孟臣 carries a historical association with the tradition of small Yixing and red-clay teapots.

For this contemporary piece, we use Mengchen Xishi as the name of the form and style. It should not be interpreted as an attribution to the historical potter Hui Mengchen.

That distinction matters.

The historical reference provides context for the form.

The craftsmanship belongs to the contemporary maker.

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Daoba · 倒把

One of the most distinctive features of this piece is described in Chinese as Daoba — 倒把.

Rather than treating this as decorative embellishment, look at what it does to the silhouette.

The familiar relationship between the rounded Xishi body and its handle changes.

Viewed from different angles, the pot feels slightly unexpected.

This is precisely the kind of detail that becomes interesting in a restrained teapot.

There is no elaborate painted surface competing for attention.

The design is expressed through structure itself.

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Zhaozhuang Zhuni · 赵庄朱泥

This teapot is described as being made from Zhaozhuang Zhuni, a material name associated with the Yixing clay tradition.

We retain the term Zhaozhuang Zhuni (赵庄朱泥) rather than reducing it simply to “red clay.”

For collectors and experienced tea drinkers, the stated clay type forms part of the identity of a Yixing teapot alongside its shape, construction and capacity.

The warm character associated with Zhuni also feels particularly natural on a compact pot such as this.

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Fully Handmade

The maker describes this teapot as fully handmade — 全手工制作.

Within Yixing pottery, this distinction is more meaningful than simply describing an object as “handcrafted.”

The teapot is presented as a piece formed through traditional manual construction rather than merely hand-finished after standardized forming.

That makes close inspection particularly worthwhile.

Look at the body.

The lid.

The relationship between handle and pot.

The spout.

The base.

A teapot this restrained gives the maker very few places to hide.

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110 ml: An Intimate Gongfu Size

Capacity: approximately 110 ml / 3.7 fl oz

This is deliberately a small teapot.

For someone who usually prepares tea alone, 110 ml can be an especially satisfying size.

It allows each infusion to remain compact, encouraging the drinker to return to the pot repeatedly as the leaves develop.

Particularly Suited To

Solo Gongfu tea
A natural scale for one tea drinker.

Tea for two
Suitable when using smaller Gongfu cups.

Repeated infusions
The smaller capacity encourages more frequent brewing.

Concentrated tea sessions
Ideal for those who prefer smaller volumes rather than one large serving.

The size is not a limitation.

It determines the rhythm.

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One Small Pot, Many Infusions

Warm the pot.

Add the leaves.

Pour.

Decant.

Taste.

Then return.

At 110 ml, the distance between one infusion and the next is never very long.

The leaves open gradually.

Aroma changes.

Texture shifts.

What seemed prominent in the first cup may disappear by the fourth.

A small teapot keeps the drinker close to those changes.

That is where its scale begins to make sense.

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Details

Product: Yixing Zisha Teapot
Form: Mengchen Xishi / 孟臣西施
Handle Style: Daoba / 倒把
Clay: Zhaozhuang Zhuni / 赵庄朱泥
Origin: Yixing, China
Craft: Fully Handmade / 全手工制作

Capacity

Approx. 110 ml / 3.7 fl oz

Recommended For

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

As a fully handmade teapot, subtle differences between individual pieces may naturally occur.

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Living With Yixing Clay

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

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

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

Avoid strongly scented detergents unless specifically recommended by the maker, as residual fragrance may interfere with subsequent tea sessions.

Protect the teapot from impacts and sudden temperature changes.

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A Note on Handmade Character

For a fully handmade Yixing teapot, close-up photography matters.

We recommend examining:

Clay Surface

Body Construction

Lid Fit

Spout

Handle

Base

Small variations associated with manual construction should not automatically be interpreted as imperfections.

They are part of the individual character of a handmade vessel.

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A Teapot for Quiet Attention

There is no elaborate carving here.

No painted scene.

No decorative surface demanding to be noticed.

Instead, attention moves toward smaller things:

the curve of the body,

the unusual handle,

the warmth of the clay,

the way the pot rests in the hand.

Then tea enters and the object begins doing what it was made to do.

Art of Quiet Living.

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Curator's Note

If the classical Xishi is defined by softness, this Mengchen Xishi feels like a variation on that familiar sentence.

The rounded body remains.

But the Daoba handle changes the punctuation.

At 110 ml, it is also one of the more intimate pots in our Yixing selection—a size we particularly like for one person drinking slowly through many infusions.