Verdant Tea

Xiangfu Workshop’s new line of Ge Song Celadon is fired using traditional techniques in Longquan, the birthplace of Celadon pottery. The light crackling on this bluer shade of celadon grows over a lifetime of use, slowly filling in darker with tea for a beautiful effect. Well-sized for gongfu tea for up to four people, this versatile little pot is suitable for brewing any kind of tea.

Xiangfu works with ceramicists in Longquan for to offer their high-end Ge Song series, relying on careful hand-glazing and high firing temperatures. The celadon crackles while firing for beautiful patterns across the teapot. Fine crystalline formations under the glazing surface make the whole pot shine in the light. Xiangfu has styled this piece after traditional Japanese Kyusu for the long handle inspiration. The handle is left unglazed to show off the beautiful pottery underneath and for an easier grip while pouring.

This creamy blue-green Ru glaze teapot celebrates the tradition of bringing new life to old pieces through gold repair work. As ancient pieces are excavated, instead of preserving cracked shards, modern collectors are repairing these relics with gold so that they can be used in tea brewing the way the original artist intended. This gold work has spurred the growth of a new craft, adding adornment to the repairs- a modern dialog with ancient pieces. This Ru pot draws on the goldwork tradition with a golden motif of its own, a contrast to the lightly-crackled Ru glaze itself.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This taller "Bao Zun" teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. The lovely Da Hong Pao Ni clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This "Si Ting" teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. This versatile and deep red Da Hong Pao Ni clay ages beautifully with any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built Sheng Tiao form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built Shi Piao form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built Sheng Tao form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Much of Lai Xiaohong’s career has been a meditation on the various shapes inspired by the moon. This qing duan clay ban yue or “half moon” teapot is one of her oldest most classic forms, perfectly balanced with graceful sweeping lines and a perfectly integrated spout. Lai Xiaohong hand-crafted this teapot for a lifetime of use, selecting a clay that will continue to grow more and more lustrous over each brewing session.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong’s beautiful Yu Zi Ni brings vivid color and deep speckling to this classic Qing Xiang form through a careful blend of her personally-excavated Zi Ni and Zhu Ni clays. The "Qing Xiang" form allows the intensity of color and mottling in the unique Yu Zi Ni to shine. Lai Xiaohong crafted this teapot for a lifetime of use, selecting and hand-blending a clay that will continue to grow more and more lustrous over each brewing session.

Much of Lai Xiaohong’s career has been a meditation on the various shapes inspired by the moon. This di cao qing clay ban yue or “half moon” teapot is one of her oldest most classic forms, perfectly balanced with graceful sweeping lines and a perfectly integrated spout. Lai Xiaohong hand-crafted this teapot for a lifetime of use, selecting a clay that will continue to grow more and more lustrous over each brewing session.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This "Ju Lun" form teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. This uniquely speckled chen pi clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. A variation on a classic "egg" form, this meticulously hand-built Wen Dan pot shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This "Jing Lan" form teapot is a classic example of her hand crafted work. This uniquely speckled chen pi clay of this small format pot will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built "Bian Yu" form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This traditional Run Yi teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. The uniquely mottled Yu Zi Ni clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

The long dan or Dragon's Egg is a graceful form that unites the pot lid and body in a perfect arc and shows off the clay at every angle of light. This lovely long dan benefits from Lai Xiaohong's  special mix of Zhu Ni and Zi Ni clay (called Yu Zi Ni), yielding a spectacularly mottled result that will grow even deeper over time.

While Lai Xiaohong often draws on classic forms, this piece feels uniquely modern with a clean, bold geometry whose balance speaks for itself. The sweeping faces of the pot show off the lovely Di Cao Qing clay that will become even deeper over a lifetime of use.

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Yuan Tiao form. It is all too rare these days to find teapots in the 100ml-150ml size since they are harder to make than larger pots, but it is so rewarding to use a pot like this and be able to steep through the same leaves over a dozen times with a single kettle of water and really see the flavor and aftertaste develop.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built "You Xiang" form features a carved bird perched on a lotus. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.