Verdant Tea

This tea set is everything you need to brew fine tea at home, or to kickstart friends and family in gongfu tea brewing. This essentials collection includes a white porcelain gaiwan that is fully non-reactive for true, clean flavor and aroma. The cups are high fired porcelain from Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio in Dehua. The tempered glass pitcher and classic strainer make it easy to brew for a group.

This essential gongfu kit includes a gaiwan, pitcher and strainer to kickstart your gongfu tea brewing adventures. Pair with your own favorite cups suited to your style. The simple gaiwan at the heart of this set is a pleasure to hold and use, perfectly sized for tea tasting, while the glass pitcher is a high-quality tempered piece that can double as a brewer for green teas. This kit is designed to be the most accessible entry point into gongfu style brewing possible.

The De Hua Peng Yuan Studio is dedicated to crafting thin, lustrous and highly vitrified porcelain in De Hua, and dedicates the time and mastery to carefully hand paint the stunning gaiwan offered in this set, along with an elegant unpainted pitcher to show off the brewed tea. A modern flare and bold geometric chrysanthemum motifs set this gaiwan apart as an elegant contemporary play on traditional patterns, drawing inspiration from ancient seals and the embroidery tradition. Pair this gaiwan and pitcher with your own favorite tea cup, perhaps a green celadon cup for beautiful contrast.

Everything you could possibly need for a full modern gongfu tea set up - alll in a convenient travel gear case! Modern Gongfu is a versatile, adaptable evolution of classic gongfu that skips the tea board in favor of a bowl to collect excess tea and water. This allows the whole set up to travel from room to room, on trips, to the park, etc without the bulk of a board, but with absolutely every tool for full gongfu ritual. The high-fired vitrified porcelain is made by Pengyuan Qinghua Studio to bring out the aromatics of fine tea. The set includes a gaiwan, four guest cups and one taller host cup, a tea presentation boat or “chahe,” a glass pitcher, a water bowl, a porcelain canister to protect your favorite tea, a tea towel to catch any drips, a runner, bamboo tweezers for tea cups, a bamboo tea scoop, and finally, a porcelain lid holder for your gaiwan lid to rest while you pour.

Our friends at the Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio in Dehua have produced this stunning set of gilded porcelain tea ware with a beautiful blue green tint to the porcelain, highlighted by bands of gold. This elegant collection includes everything you need to brew fine tea- a gaiwan, two cups, a strainer and a pitcher. The whole set is crafted from highly vitrified non-reactive porcelain to give your teas a clear, focused and true aroma and flavor.

With a gaiwan, strainer, and a pitcher, this tea set includes everything you need to brew fine tea.  Our friends at the Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio in Dehua have produced this stunning set of gilded porcelain tea ware with a beautiful blue green tint to the porcelain, highlighted by bands of gold. The whole set is crafted from highly vitrified non-reactive porcelain to give your teas a clear, focused and true aroma and flavor. Pair with your favorite tea cup, from hand painted porcelain to celadon or Jian Zhan.

This beautifully translucent porcelain full gongfu tea set includes a gaiwan, pitcher, fine strainer, and two matching tea cups. These pieces are made in Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. Each piece of high-fired, highly-vitrified porcelain is non-reactive and perfect to show off a true sense of any tea. Pair with your favorite tea cup, from hand painted porcelain to celadon or Jian Zhan.

This beautifully translucent porcelain gongfu tea brewing set includes a gaiwan, pitcher, and fine strainer. These pieces are made in Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. Each piece of high-fired, highly-vitrified porcelain is non-reactive and perfect to show off a true sense of any tea. Pair with your favorite tea cup, from hand painted porcelain to celadon or Jian Zhan.

We are excited to present Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio’s revival of Dehua’s most famous and classical style-  milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. The gaiwan is incredibly thin. Hold it up to a window, and you can see the tea right through it!

We are excited to present Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio’s revival of Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. This pitcher almost glows in the light, a stunning effect as you fill it with tea that shimmers right through the porcelain.

We are excited to present Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio’s revival of Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. This strainer does not use a metal or plastic mesh, but rather a extremely fine array of holes directly in the porcelain.

We are excited to present Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio’s revival of Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. This luster truly comes through in such an incredibly thin teacup. You can see right through the porcelain, lit up with whatever tea you are sipping.

We are excited to present Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio’s revival of Dehua’s most famous and classical style - milk white, also known as Blanc de Chine or “China White.” This unique, almost glowing milky glaze is achieved through a fusion of glaze and body, and the introduction of iron oxide for an oxidative firing environment, different from modern reductive kiln firing. This milky style was made famous in statues of Guanyin fired in Dehua’s ancient kilns, a style that looks like white jade, but with a thinness, luster and glow only possible in fine porcelain. This luster truly comes through in such an incredibly thin teacup. You can see right through the porcelain, lit up with whatever tea you are sipping.

This full gongfu tea set features a gaiwan, teaware stand and two tea cups hand painted with a beautiful persimmon motif. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their skill with stunning, highly stylized persimmons, hand-glazed in the style of screen paintings, with each persimmon’s sculptural shape captured in their brushwork. The deep rich orange contrasts with classic porcelain blue for a deeply traditional old-school effect. The gaiwan pairs with a grandiose stand that can double as a tea boat for modern gongfu tea, while the tea cups' tall shape concentrates the aroma of your tea, showing off teas like oolong especially gracefully. The highly-vitrified, high-fired porcelain is non-reactive, showing off each tea's true aroma.

The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their skill with stunning, highly stylized persimmons, hand-glazed in the style of screen paintings, with each persimmon’s sculptural shape captured in their brushwork. The deep rich orange contrasts with classic porcelain blue for a deeply traditional old-school effect. This gaiwan comes with a grandiose stand that can double as a tea boat for modern gongfu tea. The highly-vitrified, high-fired porcelain is non-reactive, meaning it shows off each tea's true aromatics.

This wild, expressive cup from the artists at Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio depicts a school of hunting carp swimming between a rich flora of underwater plants. The fish look almost prehistoric in their depiction, like the mirrored surface of a pond has been pulled back and made clear to see dragons in the depths below. This high fired vitrified porcelain is non-reactive and perfect for showing the true aromatics of any tea.

The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their skill with beautiful, highly stylized persimmons. This grandiose stand can double as a saucer for your gaiwan or a flexible tea boat for modern gongfu tea. It is hand-painted in the style of screen paintings, with each persimmon’s sculptural shape captured in their brushwork. The deep rich orange contrasts with classic porcelain blue for a deeply traditional old-school effect. 

The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their skill with beautiful, highly stylized persimmons. This gaiwan is hand-painted in the style of screen paintings, with each persimmon’s sculptural shape captured in their brushwork. The deep rich orange contrasts with classic porcelain blue for a deeply traditional old-school effect. The highly-vitrified, high-fired porcelain is non-reactive, allowing it to show off each tea's true aroma.

The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their skill with stunning, highly stylized persimmons, hand-glazed in the style of screen paintings, with each persimmon’s sculptural shape captured in their brushwork. The deep rich orange contrasts with classic porcelain blue for a deeply traditional old-school effect. The highly-vitrified, high-fired porcelain is non-reactive, meaning it shows off each tea's true aromatics. The cup’s tall shape concentrates the aroma of your tea even more, showing off teas like oolong especially gracefully.

This cup is inspired by the walled tea gardens of the Song Dynasty made famous by emperor Song Huizong. The stunning rocks of Lake Tai were the most sought after objects of scholarly contemplation, depicted on this cup surrounded by wildflowers. The rounded square shape evokes the tea pavilion at the center of any scholar’s garden. This high fired vitrified porcelain is non-reactive and perfect for showing the true aromatics of any tea.

This beautifully detailed landscape, complete with textural embossed patterns, is the Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio’s clever nod to the “Willow Pattern” or “Blue Willow” landscape pattern. The English porcelainware tradition was inspired by old school china, and came with an intricate and shifting legend and a poem that evolves from a Chinese temple to Dover. The craftspeople at Peng Yuan Qing Hua are reclaiming this legend run wild with their own Willow Pattern, an entirely hand painted piece made from high-fired porcelain that reflects the true aromatics of your tea.

This gongdao bei or tea pitcher shows off an old-school scholar’s studio tea setup, complete with a sculptural rock for contemplation, and an ancient burner. The scene connects modern gongfu back to old traditions, a reminder of tea culture spanning the centuries. The stunning bright white porcelain is perfect for appreciating the color of your tea as you pour.

A detailed and expressive baby dragon swirls in the clouds, adorning each piece in this tea set.  Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their skill with spiraling clouds, tiny dragon scales, and red highlights to complete the dragon motif. This solo tea set includes a small gongfu tea pot and a large tea cup. The high-fired porcelain itself is carefully hand assembled and detailed after forming each shape on a lathe. The vitrified porcelain is perfect for any tea, and brews up a very true aromatic profile. Pair with your favorite pitcher, or pour directly from the small pot into your cup.

A detailed and expressive baby dragon swirls in the clouds, adorning this large, wide teacup. Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their skill with spiraling clouds, tiny dragon scales, and red highlights to complete the dragon motif. The dragon wraps from front to back, through the clouds, winding around the cup. The porcelain itself is carefully shaped on a lathe and hand smoothed and polished before high temperature firing that yields full vitrification for a true non-reactive surface that amplifies and reflects aromatics.

A detailed and expressive baby dragon swirls in the clouds, adorning this classically-inspired porcelain teapot. Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their skill with spiraling clouds, tiny dragon scales, and red highlights to complete the dragon motif. The high-fired porcelain itself is carefully hand assembled and detailed after forming each shape on a lathe. The vitrified porcelain is perfect for any tea, and brews up a very true aromatic profile.

Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio takes their cat theme seriously, depicting each cat with the same level of detail and gestural beauty that they would put into a traditional landscape or floral motif; the set taken together shows cats in various stages of play with a wreath of flowers, from wearing them proudly, to running around with them, to lying in a pile of petals by the end of playtime. The set comes with an oversized saucer that doubles as a presentation plate between gongfu sessions, a beautiful gaiwan, a hexagonal glass pitcher, four guest cups and one larger host cup that works great for solo brewing too. The whole set is packaged in a fancy gift box for safe transit and great presentation.

This adorable piece from Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio depicts a cat running with a single flower. The stand is sculpted like gnarled wood and finished in deep silver glazing on the underside. This is designed to sit alongside a gaiwan or teapot to rest the lid between steepings so you don’t have to hold the lid as you fill the pot or gaiwan with water, but works just as well as a stunning stand for small teacups

Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio takes their cat theme seriously, depicting the cats on this gaiwan + saucer set with the same level of detail and gestural beauty that they would put into a traditional landscape or floral motif. The gaiwan and saucer together shows a cat playing with a wreath of flowers, from wearing them proudly to lying in a pile of petals by the end of playtime. The oversized saucer that doubles as a presentation plate between gongfu sessions.

Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio takes their cat theme seriously, depicting each cat in this tea of four gongfu tea cups with the same level of detail and gestural beauty that they would put into a traditional landscape or floral motif. The cups show cats playing with flowers - two cats playing with flowers in their hand, and two cats relaxing next to their treasure. The porcelain itself is carefully shaped on a lathe and hand smoothed and polished before high temperature firing that yields full vitrification for a non-reactive surface that amplifies and reflects aromatics.

Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio takes their cat theme seriously, depicting the lounging cat on this gongfu tea cup with the same level of detail and gestural beauty that they would put into a traditional landscape or floral motif. The cups shows a cat relaxing in a pile of flower petals. The porcelain itself is carefully shaped on a lathe and hand smoothed and polished before high temperature firing that yields full vitrification for a non-reactive surface that amplifies and reflects aromatics.

This beautiful piece from Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio is inspired by Kangxi-era famille rose style porcelain,which leaned heavily on light pinks, floral patterns and enamel overlay. The soft, almost liquid feeling of the lotus is achieved through old school vitrified enamel overglaze, where glass is ground up and mixed with pigments and re-fired to build up layering. In a nod to modern gongfu style, this gaiwan is saucerless since so many gongfu setups include a tea boat, tea board or unique saucer in their set ups. The porcelain is high fired to make it non reactive, perfect for reflecting true aromas of any tea.

For enjoying fine tea on every adventure, from picnics and hikes to road trips, this bright cheery sunflower set is ready to go. Hand-painted sunflowers adorn three cups, and a gaiwan with built-in removable strainer that can rest on the gaiwan lid flipped over between steepings. The set is protected by a tea towel folded between each layer, and nestled into a beautiful carrying case in stitched vegan leather with carrying strap that snaps on and off for easy packing. The porcelain itself is highly-vitrified fine porcelain from the masters at Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio, perfect for reflecting all the nuance and aroma from any tea.

Gongfu tea is a celebration of abundance, and this pitcher evokes that feeling of nature’s abundance beautifully with a hand-painted pomegranate tree full of fruit and blossoms. Pengyuan Qinghua Studio turns all of their own ultra-thin porcelain, vitrified at an extremely high firing temperature for teaware fine enough to amplify tea’s aromatics and allow light to pass through, giving each piece a glowing quality. Striking detail in the brushwork around the branches is matched with a beautiful dream-like quality in the pink of the fruit itself, showing off the artist’s skill.

The adorable daisies adorning this gaiwan against rich warm grey evoke a vintage 1960’s style with lush rich brushstrokes and deep greens. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their mastery with such extensive hand painting work, against the backdrop of a high-fired, fully-vitrified gaiwan perfect for reflecting the aromatics of any tea.

This is the perfect companion for modern gongfu- small, flexible and portable, this tea boat can be used with any gaiwan, or yixing teapot. The boat’s basin holds a full steeping of tea so that you can still pour your rinse over a pot to season it, but takes up less space than a full tea board. The boat can be lined up with a pitcher and cups for a full set that can go anywhere, not just a dedicated tea table. The adorable daisies adorning this tea boat against rich warm grey evoke a vintage 1960’s style with lush rich brushstrokes and deep greens. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their mastery with such extensive hand painting work, against the backdrop of a high-fired, fully-vitrified tea boat.

Storing your favorite tea in a special caddy like this one truly elevates the tasting experience, turning every leaf into a treasure. The adorable daisies adorning this tea caddy against rich warm grey evoke a vintage 1960’s style with lush rich brushstrokes and deep greens. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their mastery with such extensive hand painting work, against the backdrop of a high-fired, fully-vitrified tea caddy. The lid of the caddy includes a wrapped stopper to limit airflow and protect the aroma of the tea. This caddy holds about 75 grams of a heavy tea like Tieguanyin, 60 grams of a medium volume tea like Laoshan Black, and 20 grams of a very fluffy tea like Bai Hao Yin Zhen.

The adorable daisies adorning this tea cup against rich warm grey evoke a vintage 1960’s style with lush rich brushstrokes and deep greens. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their mastery with such extensive hand painting work, against the backdrop of a high-fired, fully-vitrified tea cup perfect for reflecting the aromatics of any tea.

Delicate hand-painted flowers adorn this high-fired fine porcelain teapot from Peng Hua Qing Yuan Studio. Shaped to be a versatile pot for any kind of tea, and fired to bring out deep aromatics, this pot is turned on a lathe with final fitting and smoothing done entirely by hand. The pot lid is attached with a braided string for safety, and the spout is fitted with strainer holes so that you can pour straight from the pot into cups without the use of a strainer.

This mini tea caddy is perfect for presenting 5-7g of your very favorite tea, either for travel, to gift to friends and family, or for saving a few steepings of a tea you love before it runs out. Elegant on a shelf or gift box, this caddy is made of fine Dehua porcelain and screws shut to keep out air and light. Hand-painted deep crimson red by the artists at Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio.

This mini tea caddy is perfect for presenting 5-7g of your very favorite tea, either for travel, to gift to friends and family, or for saving a few steepings of a tea you love before it runs out. Elegant on a shelf or gift box, this caddy is made of fine Dehua porcelain and screws shut to keep out air and light. Hand-painted deep crimson red by the artists at Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio.

Hand-Painted tea storage caddy from the artists of Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio, perfect for storing 25g-50g of your favorite tea to keep out on your tea table or on your tea display shelf. Any tea tastes better when you scoop it out of a beautiful jar like this one, made from high-fired Dehua porcelain with a tight-fitting lid to protect your fresh teas from air and light. This jar is hand painted with auspicious gourds as a symbol of abundance.

Storing your favorite tea in a special caddy like this one truly elevates the tasting experience, turning every leaf into a treasure. The adorable daisies adorning this tea caddy against rich warm grey evoke a vintage 1960’s style with lush rich brushstrokes and deep greens. The Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio shows off their mastery with such extensive hand painting work, against the backdrop of a high-fired, fully-vitrified tea caddy. The lid of the caddy includes a wrapped stopper to limit airflow and protect the aroma of the tea. This caddy holds about 75 grams of a heavy tea like Tieguanyin, 60 grams of a medium volume tea like Laoshan Black, and 20 grams of a very fluffy tea like Bai Hao Yin Zhen.

This beautifully detailed landscape, complete with textural embossed patterns, is the Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio’s clever nod to the “Willow Pattern” or “Blue Willow” landscape pattern. The English porcelainware tradition was inspired by old school china, and came with an intricate and shifting legend and a poem that evolves from a Chinese temple to Dover. The craftspeople at Peng Yuan Qing Hua are reclaiming this legend run wild with their own Willow Pattern, an entirely hand painted piece made from high-fired porcelain that reflects the true aromatics of your tea.

This elegant saucer can work as a flexible base for any gaiwan, a presentation stand for small teapots and pitchers and tea animals. Flip the saucer over and it doubles as a coaster for your favorite tea cup. This clever design by Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio is entirely hand-painted with an elegant scene of cypress trees perched on a rocky mountainside- the landscape of tea growing country.

Thin, fine and lustrous, high-fired porcelain pitcher from De Hua is highly vitrified and non-reactive, presenting a clean focused aroma in your teas. The classic blue and white landscape motif was meticulously hand-painted by Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio in De Hua, one of China’s ancient porcelain capitols. The fine brushwork of a detailed pattern like this take years of practice, a good eye and a steady hand.

This dream-like, abstract hand-painted porcelain tea bowl from Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their masterful, gestural painting skills and the depth of color contrast they achieve between lustrous white porcelain and traditional blue glaze. Their inspiration point was the enveloping feeling of the aromatic steam that rises from the tea set and catches the light in misty waves. Their high-fired, highly-vitrified porcelain is completely non-reactive and perfect to show off a true sense of any tea. The bowl is inset with a cover that allows water to drain below, making this perfect to set a small teapot or cup on top of for gongfu ceremony, or to pour out a teapot and catch the leaves while draining the water.

This dream-like, abstract hand-painted pitcher from Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their masterful, gestural painting skills and the depth of color contrast they achieve between lustrous white porcelain and traditional blue glaze. Their inspiration point was the enveloping feeling of the aromatic steam that rises from the pitcher and catches the light in misty waves. Their high-fired, highly-vitrified porcelain work brings out the deepest aromatics in your tea.

This dream-like, abstract hand-painted tea cup from Peng Yuan Qing Hua studio shows off their masterful, gestural painting skills and the depth of color contrast they achieve between lustrous white porcelain and traditional blue glaze. Their inspiration point was the enveloping feeling of the aromatic steam that rises from the cup and catches the light in misty waves. Their high-fired, highly-vitrified porcelain work brings out the deepest aromatics in your tea.

This striking gaiwan features a hand-painted motif of delicate bamboo swaying in the wind. Pengyuan Qinghua Studio turns all of their own ultra-thin porcelain, vitrified at an extremely high firing temperature for teaware fine enough to amplify tea’s aromatics and allow light to pass through, giving each piece a glowing quality. The red brushwork is an elegant contrast to the white, and an evocative reference to the bamboo groves that grow alongside tea in the mountains of Fujian.

This impressive pitcher features a peaceful hand-painted scene highlighting a secret tea pavilion in the mountains. Pengyuan Qinghua Studio turns all of their own ultra-thin porcelain, vitrified at an extremely high firing temperature for teaware fine enough to amplify tea’s aromatics and allow light to pass through, giving each piece a glowing quality. The brushwork on this piece shows off the artist's skill at both detail in the pavilion itself, and gestural washes and abstraction on the rock face and cherry blossoms.

This striking pitcher features a hand-painted motif of delicate bamboo swaying in the wind. Pengyuan Qinghua Studio turns all of their own ultra-thin porcelain, vitrified at an extremely high firing temperature for teaware fine enough to amplify tea’s aromatics and allow light to pass through, giving each piece a glowing quality. The red brushwork is an elegant contrast to the white, and an evocative reference to the bamboo groves that grow alongside tea in the mountains of Fujian.

This thin, fine, lustrous porcelain features a meticulously hand painted bamboo motif in incredible detail, fired in both traditional blue and deep green for a stunning two tone effect. The modern sleek shape is perfect for any gongfu set up, and the fully-vitrified non-reactive high fired porcelain amplifies the aromatics of any tea you pour from it, perfect for serious and contemplative tasting.

The pig is a symbol of auspicious abundance, and this adorable cartoon teatime companion is ready for all your best brews. Hand-painted by our friends at Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio in Dehua, one of China’s ancient porcelain capitols. The pattern may be playful, but the cup is high-fired porcelain, perfect for bringing out deep aromatics in every tea!

This adorable hand-painted teacup celebrates the fun and wild side of tea with a friendly cartoon dinosaur, drawn by our friends at Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio in Dehua, one of China’s ancient porcelain capitols. The pattern may be playful, but the cup is high-fired porcelain, perfect for bringing out deep aromatics in every tea!

This lovely green gaiwan is the perfect size for tasting a tea through many infusions, flexible enough to brew solo or for up to four people with smaller cups. This smaller size is particularly traditional in Fujian and Guangzhou for steeping fine oolongs where you pack in as much leaf as possible and do short hot infusions all day. The wide lid finial makes this particularly easy to hold and angle for pouring. Modern gaiwan convention skips the saucer, letting the gaiwan be used flexibly with a board, a tea boat, or on a runner.

Delicate lustrous porcelain is accented with cherries and a little bunny rabbit, white contrasting with a pink glaze exterior. This hand-painted cup shows off the sensibilities of our friends at Peng Hua Qing Yuan studio. The taller shape is perfect for concentrating aromatics for teas like Tieguanyin, Wuyi oolong, green tea or jasmine, and the white makes for a perfect contrast to the color of your tea.

The cool, celadon-inspired finish on this hand-painted porcelain gaiwan serves as a beautiful contrast to the floral spring motif. The gestural, fine painting work shows off Peng Yuan Qing Hua Studio’s skill and technique. The spring flowers are a surprise until you take off the lid, revealing a traditional lotus pond motif. The lid of the gaiwan itself is curved and shaped to double as a bonus tasting cup for solo brewing.

This tea set is inspired by the professional tea setups used at fine teahouses in Xiamen, one of the biggest cultural centers for oolong tea in the world, and central to all of Fujian’s abundant tea- from Tieguanyin to white tea and Big Red Robe. A high-fired, hand-painted porcelain gaiwan brings out deep and true aromatics in your tea, while aroma cups allow you to enjoy those aromatics to the fullest. A beautiful, carved, hardwood draining tea board is there to catch any drips or rinses during long tea sessions, and provides a beautiful contrast with the glowing and nearly translucent porcelain.

Everything you need to get the most out of your fine teas using gongfu brewing style. A versatile porcelain gaiwan helps you do lots of steepings with the same leaf to see how a tea’s flavor unfolds, a glass pitcher and strainer are there to help you fill up everyone’s cups with each infusion, a tea board catches any drips and rinse steepings along the way, and finally, two porcelain tasting cups that show off a tea’s true aroma. Get started with gongfu and see your tea in a totally new way!

Delicate hand-painted flowers adorn this high-fired fine porcelain teapot from Peng Hua Qing Yuan Studio. Shaped to be a versatile pot for any kind of tea, and fired to bring out deep aromatics, this pot is turned on a lathe with final fitting and smoothing done entirely by hand. The pot lid is attached with a braided string for safety, and the spout is fitted with strainer holes so that you can pour straight from the pot into cups without the use of a strainer.

These spectacular moonlight white gongfu teacups reflect artist Yi Xuan’s research into complex ash-glazing techniques that involve multiple firings and layers of glaze to capture the depth and complexity of cai shao wood firing with the nuance and control of electric firing, yielding a delicate crackling almost celadon-like effect that draws on Song Dynasty Jun Yao in spirit through the contrasting white and black. Each piece is entirely handmade, one of only six to come out of the kiln this year! Each of the six pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

Experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan is always pushing the boundaries of tradition and material science. This new firing shows off her masterful combination of glazing effects- starting with an electric kiln firing to set the delicate porcelain, then an ash glaze wood kiln firing, and finally an electric firing to set the stunning, swirling glassy reds. Fully hand-built, this cup feels like holding an ancient piece excavated after thousands of years. Each of these pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

Sitting around the tea table together, Yi Xuan calls these stunning, hand-built pieces her ‘classic porcelain’ with a smile on her face. What she means is that these cups are her only work that gets a traditional white glaze, a nod to her training and discipline as a potter in China’s oldest center of porcelain culture. Of course, this work is nothing like “classic” porcelain, with its subtle coloration that comes from Yi Xuan’s unique wood-firing process, and the celadon-like crackling. The sculptural shapes of each piece are a testament to her insistence to form each cup by hand without a lathe or even a potters wheel- her tribute to ancient craft.  This tasting cup is small enough for sipping traditional gongfu tea. Each of these pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

Experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan is always pushing the boundaries of tradition and material science. This new firing shows off her masterful combination of glazing effects- starting with an electric kiln firing to set the delicate porcelain, then an ash glaze wood kiln firing, and finally an electric firing to set the stunning, swirling glassy redsthat evoke the glowing fire of Yi Xuan’s own wood kiln . Fully hand-built, this cup feels like holding an ancient piece excavated after thousands of years. Each of these pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

Aroma cups are an essential part of old-school gongfu tea - a cup whose sole purpose is to collect, focus, and concentrate the aroma of your tea. Experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan was fascinated with the idea of firing a small batch of exquisitely thin, hand-thrown aroma cups in her wood kiln to match her stunning tea cups. This first batch came out beautifully! Her unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze, and finally, an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her huge kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years with its purple and silver swirling iridescence. Each of these pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

This hand-built piece by artist Yi Xuan looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Each of these pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

This stunning iridescent tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan. This piece came out of her kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her multi-day firing process that gets so hot, she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This tea cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide elements present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing. This piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for unique works that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

This stunning iridescent tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan. This piece came out of her kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her multi-day firing process that gets so hot, she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This tea cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide elements present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing. This piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for unique works that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan turns the expectations of exquisite porcelain on their head with this new sculpted tea cup series. While De Hua’s tradition is rooted in precision, this piece is reasserts the craft and humanity behind porcelain art. If you look closely, you can see Yi Xuan's own fingerprints in the sculpted natural shape of the cup. Her unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in your hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan placed her seal on the interior of this cup. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan turns the expectations of exquisite porcelain on their head with this new sculpted tea cup series. While De Hua’s tradition is rooted in precision, this piece is reasserts the craft and humanity behind porcelain art. If you look closely, you can see Yi Xuan's own fingerprints in the sculpted natural shape of the cup. Her unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in your hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan placed her seal on the interior of this cup. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan turns the expectations of exquisite porcelain on their head with this new sculpted tea cup series. While De Hua’s tradition is rooted in precision, this piece is reasserts the craft and humanity behind porcelain art. Yi Xuan's unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in your hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan placed her seal on the interior of this cup. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan turns the expectations of exquisite porcelain on their head with this new sculpted tea cup series. While De Hua’s tradition is rooted in precision, this piece is reasserts the craft and humanity behind porcelain art. Her unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in your hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan placed her seal on the interior of this cup. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan turns the expectations of exquisite porcelain on their head with this new sculpted tea cup series. While De Hua’s tradition is rooted in precision, this piece is reasserts the craft and humanity behind porcelain art. If you look closely, you can see Yi Xuan's own fingerprints in the sculpted natural shape of the cup. Her unique two step firing involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in your hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan placed her seal on the interior of this cup. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

These stunning green, glassy cups represent an entirely new body of work for experimental porcelain artist Yi Xuan. While Yi Xuan has been focused deeply on the effect of ash glaze and iron oxides in the kiln for the past year, these “Dragon Scale” pieces reach towards celadon craft and glazing technique. She applies this perspective to the higher heat, higher stakes porcelain firing process instead of traditional stoneware, and with a “cao mu hui” or ash-based glazing.. Her work hand-sculpting each piece makes them fully unique - with mottling, depth, texture and even flashes of silver hidden in the glazing work. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual cup finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Experimental Porcelain artist Yi Xuan actually took a six month position part time at a high-end coffee shop to immerse herself in espresso culture with the goal of better understanding the way other beverages can intersect with porcelain art. This “residency” of sorts inspired her to want to take on the challenge of an espresso style cup complete with stunningly-thin handle. The entire cup was delicately hand-sculpted in fine porcelain. It took many firings to get a successful piece out of Yi Xuan’s extreme high-fire high temp wood kiln. The intense heat usually cracks and shatters pieces as thin and fine as this, especially with a long handle. This cup is a triumph of Yi Xuan’s kiln and a testament to her skill and adaptability. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact cup pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Museum-level, monumental, dramatic, and fully one-of-a-kind, this is artist Yi Xuan’s tribute to the old-school Song Dynasty matcha bowl. Big enough to hold a full gaiwan or yixing teapot infusion, this is the ideal solo gongfu vessel- reflecting tea’s aromatics like the fine high-fired porcelain it is, but with deep sculptural beauty that elevates the tasting experience. The way she hand-sculpted this cup makes it look rough-hewn, like it was excavated from an ancient Song Dynasty kiln site, but with a shimmering swirling iridescence- an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Museum-level, monumental, dramatic, and fully one-of-a-kind, this is artist Yi Xuan’s tribute to the old-school Song Dynasty matcha bowl. Big enough to hold a full gaiwan or yixing teapot infusion, this is the ideal solo gongfu vessel - reflecting tea’s aromatics like the fine high-fired porcelain it is, but with deep sculptural beauty that elevates the tasting experience. The way she hand-sculpted this cup makes it look rough-hewn, like it was excavated from an ancient Song Dynasty kiln site. Sitting around the tea table together, Yi Xuan calls this style her ‘classic porcelain’ with a smile on her face. What she means is that these cups are her only work that get a traditional white glaze, a nod to her training and discipline as a potter in China’s oldest center of porcelain culture. Of course, this work is nothing like “classic” porcelain, with its subtle coloration that comes from Yi Xuan’s unique wood-firing process, and the celadon-like crazing. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Museum-level, monumental, dramatic, and fully one-of-a-kind, this is artist Yi Xuan’s tribute to the old-school Song Dynasty matcha bowl. Big enough to hold a full gaiwan or yixing teapot infusion, this is the ideal solo gongfu vessel - reflecting tea’s aromatics like the fine high-fired porcelain it is, but with deep sculptural beauty that elevates the tasting experience. The way she hand-sculpted this cup makes it look rough-hewn, like it was excavated from an ancient Song Dynasty kiln site. Sitting around the tea table together, Yi Xuan calls this style her ‘classic porcelain’ with a smile on her face. What she means is that these cups are her only work that get a traditional white glaze, a nod to her training and discipline as a potter in China’s oldest center of porcelain culture. Of course, this work is nothing like “classic” porcelain, with its subtle coloration that comes from Yi Xuan’s unique wood-firing process, and the celadon-like crazing. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

Museum-level, monumental, dramatic, and fully one-of-a-kind, this is artist Yi Xuan’s tribute to the old-school Song Dynasty matcha bowl. Big enough to hold a full gaiwan or yixing teapot infusion, this is the ideal solo gongfu vessel - reflecting tea’s aromatics like the fine high-fired porcelain it is, but with deep sculptural beauty that elevates the tasting experience. The way she hand-sculpted this cup makes it look rough-hewn, like it was excavated from an ancient Song Dynasty kiln site. Sitting around the tea table together, Yi Xuan calls this style her ‘classic porcelain’ with a smile on her face. What she means is that these cups are her only work that get a traditional white glaze, a nod to her training and discipline as a potter in China’s oldest center of porcelain culture. Of course, this work is nothing like “classic” porcelain, with its subtle coloration that comes from Yi Xuan’s unique wood-firing process, and the celadon-like crazing. This truly one-of-a-kind piece is the exact tea bowl pictured. Yi Xuan’s process and her kiln make for stunningly unique pieces that can never turn out the same again. Once this individual piece finds a new home, it is gone.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.