Verdant Tea

This is part of master potter Lai Xiahong’s “Back to Nature” Forest Series, drawing inspiration from the natural landscape of mountains and forest surrounding her home in Yixing. Her work scouting and personally excavating her clays from the hillsides brings her deep into nature, which comes through in Lai Xiahong’s hand-sculpted forms like this unique cup, one of Lai Xiahong’s first ‘non-teapot’ pieces she has ever made available. The cup evokes a tree stump, or hollowed out gourd, surrounded by roots- a nod to the bounty of nature as the cup is filled. The warmth of the Duan Ni clay will continue to grow deeper over years of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This classic "Xi Shi" 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.

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Han Xiang 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. 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 Long Dan, or Dragon’s Egg teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. This stunning Hei Ni clay ages beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Yi Li Zhu means pearl, a fitting name for a teapot with such a graceful pearl-like pot body. Award-winning master potter Lai Xiaohong truly shines with her work on simple powerful shapes like this one, setting off each detail with perfect balance. Lai Xiaohong excavates and blends her own clay, and is particularly famous for her Di Cao Qing’s mottling and the way it builds a luster and patina over time.

The gu xiang is one of Lai Xiaohong’s favorite forms, a shape she keeps coming back to thanks to its balance and grace. This unique Gu Xiang features a tall curved lid handle and boldly-offset spout, giving the pot poise and energy. 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. 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 special 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 with strikingly beautiful Qing Hui Ni for a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is well known for her beautiful 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 and classic "Xi Shi" 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 playful "Nan Gua" or gourd 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 lovely ban yue or “half moon” teapot is one of her most classic forms, perfectly balanced with graceful sweeping lines and a perfectly integrated spout. Lai Xiaohong hand-crafted this teapot with beautiful Duan Ni for a lifetime of use.

Much of Lai Xiaohong’s career has been a meditation on the various shapes inspired by the moon. This lovely ban yue or “half moon” teapot is one of her most classic forms, perfectly balanced with graceful sweeping lines and a perfectly integrated spout. Lai Xiaohong hand-crafted this teapot with beautiful Duan Ni for 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 classic "Bi 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 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 gu xiang 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 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.

This teapot was hand built by award-winning artist Lai Xiahong using a fine di cao qing clay full of complexity and mottling, which has fired to a beautiful color. The yi li zhu, or “pearl" form of Lai Xiaohong’s is rendered beautifully in this pot, bringing balance to low profile rounded body and the handle, mirrored in the finial. Her strainer is generously fine and well-incorporated for a smooth pour. Lai Xiaohong crafted this teapot for a lifetime of use, selecting a clay that will continue to grow more and more lustrous over each brewing session.

This beautifully-classic form comes to life in master-potter Lai Xiaohong’s hands, adorned with a fluid and energetic carving of a bird perched on a branch. The rich warm speckled Zi Ni clay shines in the light, accentuating the graceful curves of the pot itself. This piece is a perfect example of why Lai Xiahong is such a well-respected potter- she brings together ancient forms and modern sensibility with an effortless-feeling grace yielding work that is a pleasure to use for a lifetime.

Master Potter Lai Xiaohong has an incredible skill for bringing a dynamic and playfeel feeling to her work, even in traditional forms. This lovely Di Cao Qing teapot features a gestural carving of children at play, a nod to tea as play and reminder to have fun tasting every brew. Lai Xiaohong excavates and blends her own clay, and is particularly famous for her Di Cao Qing’s mottling and the way it builds a luster and patina over time.

This beautiful little teapot by award-winning master potter Lai Xiahong stays true to tradition, evoking the classic han wa form, but with such a playful lid handle adornment, like a classical garden bridge. The wide lid makes this perfect for brewing particularly fluffy teas like Big Red Robe. Lai Xiaohong excavates and blends her own clay, and is particularly famous for her Di Cao Qing’s mottling and the way it builds a luster and patina over time. 

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This sculpted "Shi Piao" teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. The classic "stone dipper" form features a playfully sculpted lid evoking bamboo. The deep Di Cao Qing clay will age 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 Han Wa form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and features a carved underwater scene that also evoke dragons in flight. 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 deceptively simple pot shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art, featuring a surprising animal seal carving on the wide pot lid.  The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

This beautiful golden Duan Ni yixing teapot from award-winning Master potter Lai Xiahong shows off the artist’s mastery of traditional form. The golden duan ni makes the smooth, dumlike body appear to glow, while the lid is punctuated by precise sculpted details evoking metal riveting. The small size is more difficult to shape, but Lai Xiahong insists on continuing the old school tradition of small pots like this one for solo or two person brew sessions. This pot will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. his meticulously hand-built Si Yuan form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and features a carved lotus and playful figure. This beautiful Zi 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 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 Si Ting 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 Shi Piao teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work, featuring beautiful sculptural detail on the bridge of the tea pot's lid. 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.

This beautiful golden Duan Ni yixing teapot from award-winning Master potter Lai Xiahong shows off the artist’s mastery of traditional form. The golden duan ni makes the smooth body appear to glow. The smaller size is more difficult to shape, but Lai Xiahong insists on continuing the old school tradition of small pots like this one for solo or two person brew sessions. This pot will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This Qin Xiang teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. The beautiful Di Cao Qing clay ages beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

The Shi Piao in all its glory; a heightened drama, a stark presence, a geometric inevitability. Master potterLai Xiaohong brings all of her craft to bear in this inspired piece. In its lines and the mysterious depth of the uniquely wood-fired Zi Ni clay, this Shi Piao is a conversation between clay as yielding boundless form and clay as unyielding rock. This pot is ready to take on deeper luster and patina 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 Ni 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 is well known for her beautiful 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 and classic "Xi Shi" 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 hand-built Gu Xiang form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm golden clay will take on luster and patina over a lifetime of use.

This beautiful and warm golden duan ni teapot by award-winning master potter Lai Xiaohong exemplifies a classic old-school sculptural form - gracefully-balanced between handle and spout, and adorned with gestural purple clay to contrast against the mottled lustrous duan ni. Lai Xiaohong is best known for classic pieces like this that elevate traditional forms with new life and energy.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This "An Xiang" teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work, featuring playful sculpture on the handle and a delicate flower on the lid. The beautiful Zi Ni clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

This beautiful golden Duan Ni yixing teapot from award-winning Master potter Lai Xiahong shows off the artist’s mastery of traditional form. The golden duan ni makes the smooth body appear to glow. The golden duan ni makes the smooth, dumlike body appear to glow, while the lid is punctuated by precise sculpted details evoking metal riveting. The small size is more difficult to shape, but Lai Xiahong insists on continuing the old school tradition of small pots like this one for solo or two person brew sessions. This pot will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

This beautifully carved Di Cao Qing Ni tea pot from Lai Xiaohong is hand built with sculpted detail. The simple, traditional body is accented with tiny, beautifully rendered calligraphy and topped with a flat lid that’s adorned with a delicately sculpted “heart” shaped handle. The spout and handle are gracefully balanced and built for a lifetime of use, and the gorgeous clay is just waiting to be seasoned and grow more lustrous over the years.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This beautifully carved Shi Piao teapot is hand built with deep and mottled Di Cao Qing clay and features a contemplative water scene across one side. The craving will stand out more over time, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Yi Li Zhu means pearl, a fitting name for a teapot with such a graceful pearl-like pot body. Award-winning potter Lai Xiaohong shines with her work on simple powerful shapes like this one, setting off each detail with perfect balance. Lai Xiaohong excavates and blends her own clay, and is particularly well-known for her Di Cao Qing’s mottling and the way it builds a luster and patina over time.

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 traditional "Qin Quan" form features graceful bamboo stretching up across the face of the pot. The carving will grow in depth over time as the warm Di Cao Qing clay gains luster over a lifetime of use.

Duan Ni can be such a deep and expressive clay, and in the hands of Lai Xiaohong, it really comes to life. The smooth modern curves of the pot body reflect the light from every angle, giving the clay a more lustrous quality, while the adornment on the lid gives the piece new meaning. The swirled clay forms a perfectly-sculpted scholar’s rock: an object of contemplation, and a commentary on the yixing pot as the modern scholarly object of contemplation itself.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This beautifully carved Shi Piao teapot is hand built with deep and mottled Di Cao Qing clay and features a contemplative landscape across one side. The carving will stand out more over time, 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 "Gu Qiao" form features a carved bird perched on a bamboo branch. 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-build  He Mei form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay has been carefully swirled with golden Duan Ni for an incredible fluid effect, and 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 Shi Piao teapot is hand built with deep and mottled Di Cao Qing clay and features a contemplative landscape carving across one side. The craving will stand out more over time, 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-build pot shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay has been carefully swirled with golden Duan Ni for a beautiful fluid effect on the on the lid, carefully sculpted to evoke a natural rock formation. The whole piece 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 pot features a carefully sculpted lid inspired by natural rock formations as well as a calligraphic rock carving - a playful mirroring of traditional scholarly objects of contemplation.

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 "Shu Zhuang" form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art, featuring carefully sculpted organic details that turn the clay pot body into a reflection of a gnarled tree stump. The warm Di Cao Qing clay will 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 tea pot features a ling zhi mushroom (or reishi mushroom) for its finial, connecting the formal pot to both poetry and nature. This lovely Di Cao Qing 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. This meticulously hand-build pot shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay has been carefully swirled with golden Duan Ni for a beautiful fluid effect on the on the lid, carefully sculpted to evoke a natural rock formation. The whole piece 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 and playful "Zhu Zhi" form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art - evoking a bamboo branch, especially in the carefully sculpted details in the lid. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.ng more depth and luster over years of brewing.

This elegant yixing tea pot from artist Lai Xiaohong is hand built from rich Di Cao Qing Ni into a "Bian Yu" form and hand carved with careful lines of inscribed calligrpahy. The scultped handle is balanced with a straight, simple spout, and the flat lid is perfectly fitted to the wide, shallow body. The gorgeous clay is just waiting to be seasoned and grow more lustrous over a lifetime of use; over the years, the carving will fill in with tea in contrast to the smoother body of the pot.

This “Qin Xiang” form is one of Lai Xiaohong’s very favorite classics to work with in her pots. The graceful form lends perfect material to her skill as a potter, especially for bringing a sense of dynamic motion and playful curves to traditional shapes. Lai Xiaohong excavates and mixes all her own clay, and she is particularly well known for her beautiful Di Cao Qing clay. The fine material means this piece will grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

Rich, mottled, and almost glowing, this pot shows off artist Lai Xiaohong’s singular approach to her clay. Instead of buying her materials, she hikes the mountains and excavates her own clay, mixing them in troughs and allowing them to age and settle to her specific goals. The generous and elegant curves of this pot allow her clay to catch the light. The wide spout boasts an incredibly fast pour for very precise brewing. The pot will only become more lustrous and beautiful with each use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that she blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built Dian Xiang form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and modern fluid sensibility in her art, especially the way the teapot lid handle spans the top with its clover cut-out. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Artist Lai Xiaohong is well known for her birds. She has spent decades capturing expressive gestural motion and character in these creatures that feel as much like dragons as they birds. This pot is built from Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from material settled in her trough after months of careful aging. The fine material will grow deeper and more lustrous with every use, seasoning in contrast to the careful carving. The wide spout makes for a fast and precise pour time, and the expansive pot body is perfect for Wuyi oolongs and other fluffy teas.

Rich, mottled, golden, and subtley glowing, this pot shows off award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong’s singular approach to her clay. Instead of buying her materials, she hikes the mountains and excavates her own clays, mixing them in troughs and allowing them to age and settle to her specific goals. The generous and elegant curves of this pot allow her clay to catch the light. The delicate spout and pot handle shows off Lai Xiaohong’s mastery of form.

The adorned lid of this teapot combines Lai Xiaohong’s modern sensibilities with an almost ancient aesthetic - referencing early history bronzes against the backdrop of a contemporary, sleek pot body. This pot brings together the history of craft in a circle. Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. The pot will continue to grow more lustrous and beautiful with every use. 

The beautifully carved scene on this tea pot shows off artist Lai Xiahong’s skill and attention to tiny, meticulous details. The fluid carving brings to life a vibrant naturescape, a moment of contemplation on a boat, just like the contemplation Lai Xiaohong hopes to inspire when you brew tea in her work. The warm, mottled Zi Ni clay will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous over time.

Artist Lai Xiaohong’s carved animals are wonderful! She has spent decades capturing expressive gestural motion and character in figures like these graceful fish. The pot has a simple inscription “abundance” - a nod to the idea of the overflowing cup or pot as part of gongfu tea. This pot is built from Di Cao Qing Ni, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging.  and grows more lustrous with every use. The fine material will grow deeper and more lustrous with every use, seasoning in contrast to the careful carving.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense, and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from material settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built Wen Dan 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.

The Shui Ping is one of the most traditional YUixing forms, and also one of the rarest to see well-balanced and executed. Award-winning artist Lai Xiahong brings an effortless grace and grounded sense of balance to her take on the shui ping, with particular attention to the curve of the pot lid and the way the handle and spout complement each other. Turn the pot over, and it is inscribed in beautiful calligraphy indicating the season it was crafted. The bright beautiful Da Hong Pao Ni clay will grow deeper and more lustrous with every use.

The Shi Piao is one of the most beloved and most referenced Yixing forms of all. As a meditation on the perfect geometry of triangles within triangles, some shi piao pots can be quite austere, but potter Lai Xiaohong gives this piece a vibrant and organic sensibility with the mottled clay and her playful pot handles. Lai Xiaohong excavates and blends her own clay, yielding yixing pots that grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

This intricate and expressive carved yixing teapot from award-winning potter Lai Xiaohong features a bird perched on a branch heavy with summer fruit. The opposite face of the tea pot features a beautiful calligraphic inscription “fu sheng ban ri xian” or “a floating moment of leisure.” Lai Xiaohong excavates and mixes all her own clay, and she is particularly well known for her gorgeous Di Cao Qing clay. The fine material will grow deeper and more lustrous with every use, seasoning in contrast to the careful carving.

Hand-built by award-winning potter Lai Xiaohong, this beautiful “Gu Xiang” yixing pot is her personal take on a classic form. Instilled with energy, a dynamic sense of motion and perfect balanced curves, her craft brings this pot to life. Lai Xiaohong excavates and mixes all her own clay, and this pot is built out of a bright, beautiful golden Duan Ni which will grow deeper and more lustrous with every use.

The gourd form might very well be the original water vessel. Pre-pottery and pre metal-work, our ancestors had access to hollowed gourds, and this ancient grounding continues to inform yixing tea pot design even today. This piece is a celebration of Yixing’s connection to early history, evoking a perfectly-formed gourd. In artist Lai Xiaohong’s hands, this pot takes on effortless grace. The beautifully mottled Zhu Ni clay will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous over years of use.

In the Song dynasty, the tradition of collecting found objects in nature like curious stones became part of the scholarly culture. These stones would adorn a scholar’s writing desk as a token, reminding the viewer even as they practice calligraphy or poetry that all beauty is derived from nature. Lai Xiaohong references the scholarly object of contemplation with twin rocks adorning this teapot, organic forms against the perfect polished Zi Ni pot body.

Award-winning yixing artist Lai Xiahong is putting her skill on clear display with this gorgeous and sculptural scene, capturing a fluidity to the mountains that feels almost like ink on paper. The inscription describes a single bloom bringing spring to the forest, the portent of a changing season. The tall modern pot body itself accommodates even fluffy Wuyi oolong or Dancong. The deep mottled red Zhu Ni clay will become more lustrous and beautiful with every use.

This beautiful piece shows off award-winning potter Lai Xiahong’s skill through the addition of a clay ring fired around the pot's lid handle in contrasting Zi Ni. The effect creates playful contrast with the lighter mottled Di Cao Qing Ni of the pot body. The sweeping spout and handle show off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and the 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 hand excavated and hand mixed clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms like this one. This Xiao Qu teapot is a beautiful example of her meticulous craft and her ability to bring gestural energy to her forms. The wonderful Duan Ni clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Artist Lai Xiaohong loves drawing inspiration from nature for her hand-built Yixing tea pots. This piece honors the twists and turns of old gnarled wood, all set against Lai Xiahong’s take on the beloved Shi Piao form pot body. Made with a deep beautiful Zi Ni clay, this pot will grow even more lustrous with each use.

The famous Shi Piao form typically follows very rigid guidelines, with the geometry of the triangle mirrored through the handle, pot body and feet as a nod to daoist concepts of three representing the universe. This Shi Piao is bold in taking a playful approach with soft, gentle curves and a “scholar’s rock” adorning the top. Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This pot will grow even more lustrous with every use.

This beautiful piece by award-wining potter Lai Xiahong shows off her clay work - blending golden duan ni and Di Cao Qing to create shimmering river stones that adorn the body of the tea pot. Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. The fine material ensures that this pot will grow even more lustrous over years of use.

Deep, mottled clay makes this beautiful piece by award-winning artist Lai Xiahong truly special. She is well known for excavating her own clay in the mountains around Yixing and blending it in troughs outside her studio. Only that level of control can yield such a warm, stunning color and complexity. The pot body itself shows off perfect balance: fluid form and meticulous detail coming together just right. This pot will grow even more lustrous with every use.

Artist Lai Xiaohong loves drawing inspiration from nature for her beautiful hand-built Yixing teapots. This piece honors the twists and turns of old gnarled wood, all set against the kind of modern gestural pot body for which Lai Xiaohong is so well known. Made with a beautiful Zi Ni clay, this pot will grow even more lustrous with each use.

The famous Shi Piao form typically follows very rigid guidelines, with the geometry of the triangle mirrored through the handle, pot body and feet as a nod to daoist concepts of three representing the universe. This Shi Piao is bold in taking a playful approach with soft, beautiful curves and a delicate flower adorning the top. Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is well known 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. With this fine material, the pot will grow deeper and more lustrous with every 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 golden Duan Ni clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

This elegant teapot by award winning artist Lai Xiahong embodies the auspicious phoenix in the sweeping gestural spout and handle, and the feather-like detail of the lid handle. In ever curve and the balance of each piece, Lai Xiahong’s mastery comes through, showing off her traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility. The brilliant Da Hong Pao clay is ready to take on even deeper luster over years of use.

This stunning piece shows off award-winning master potter Lai Xiahong’s skill through the addition of a clay lid handle ring fired into the pot in contrasting golden Duan Ni against the deep mottled Zi Ni of the pot body. The sweeping spout and handle show off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and the 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.

Master Potter Lai Xiaohong brings a perfect sense of drama to this beautiful "Shi Piao" tea pot. The tiny touches of gold leaf on body and lid light up against the rich da hong pao ni clay and evokes constellations in a starry sky. This elegant piece will grow even more lustrous over years of use, building up a patina and giving back flavor and texture to your tea.

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 "Shu Gen" or "Tree Branch" form is carefully sculpted with fine detail to evoke gnarled tree branches growing from the lid, with playful contrast between the smooth body of the pot against the twisting details. The warm mottled 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 Si Ting form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding as well as a playful side - featuring a pair of lucky rat friends carved on the body of the pot. 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.

This stunningly unique teapot by master potter Lai Xiahong was fired in a traditional Jian Zhan Dragon Kiln, a process that requires days of heat, and a very low success rate, meaning multiple pots came out cracked before this beautiful pot emerged from the kiln, complete with intricate subtle carving work, and coloring that reflects the heat signature of the kiln. Sculpted from a gorgeous Hei Ni that will continue to take on the aroma of the tea it brews and a subtle depth and luster over time.

In this gorgeous piece, Lai Xiahong uses a palette of richly color enamel with gold gilding to adorn her yixing teapot Yuan Ci form. The result is a beautiful, almost art-deco style that lights up in the sun and makes every pot of tea a heightened ritual. Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich and mottled clay that she blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This deeply beautiful clay will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous with years of use.

This teapot by award-wining potter Lai Xiahong shows off her beautiful clay: blending golden duan ni with Di Cao Qing to create a shimmering lilypad that adorns the lid. Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from material settled in her trough after months of careful aging. The fine material ensures this pot will grow more lustrous with every use.

Artist Lai Xiaohong loves drawing inspiration from nature for her stunning hand-built Yixing teapots. This piece honors the soft shapes and feeling of well-worn wood, both in the pot body and the intricate teapot lid handle. Lai Xiaohong is well known for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing Ni: a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from material settled in her trough after months of careful aging. The fine material ensures this pot will grow more lustrous with every use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong takes her work to a new level with the use of gilding in this piece to form stunning golden daisies to adorn the body of this tea pot. The warm Di Cao Qing clay contrasts so beautifully with the gold as it catches the light. The Han Wa form itself is sculpted with supreme grace, from the perfectly flat lid and stylized arched lid handle to the balance of the spout itself. This teapot is ready to take on deep luster and patina with every use.

In this gorgeous piece, Lai Xiahong uses a palette of richly color enamel with gold gilding to adorn her yixing teapot Shi Piao form. The result is a beautiful, almost art-deco style that lights up in the sun and makes every pot of tea a heightened ritual. The deep, rich, mottled Zhu Ni clay was aged and mixed personally by Lai Xiaohong for complex patterning. This gorgeous clay will continue to grow deeper and more lustrous with years of use.

This stunning piece shows off award-winning master potter Lai Xiahong’s skill through the addition of a clay lid handle ring fired into the pot in contrasting golden Duan Ni against the deep mottled Zi Ni of the pot body. The sweeping spout and handle show off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and the 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. The whole piece is adorned with golden painted medallions for a beautiful contrast.

This piece is tribute to the classic Song Dynasty scholar’s studio and the movement of finding natural objects of contemplation and inspiration to set against fine calligraphy and intricate carvings. As an intersection point between the meticulous, deliberate and masterful and the spontaneous natural, this pot shows off Lai Xioahong’s lifelong inspiration drawn from the mountains around her home in Yixing. The pot body evokes a worn stone, while the handle and spout are like twisted roots. Perched on top is a playful frog. This duan ni is ready to take on natural luster over years 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 deceptively simple pot shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art, featuring a surprising scholar's studio stone carving on the wide pot lid, paired with the characters "ben shi" - a gathering of stones.  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 sculpted pot features a Ru Yi on the wide pot lid. The Ruyi symbol comes from Buddhist and imperial iconography, and evokes good fortune and power that comes not from imposing will, but from will aligning with the natural way - a significant statement in the context of tea culture. 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 Yi Li Zhu or "pearl" form is adorned with gilded gold leaf "fu" seals, evoking abundance. 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. The warm Di Cao Qing clay has been carefully swirled with golden Duan Ni for a beautiful fluid effect on the on the lid, carefully sculpted to evoke a natural rock formation. The smooth body is gilded stastefully with gold, evoking constellations. The whole piece is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

This is part of master potter Lai Xiahong’s “Back to Nature” Series, drawing inspiration from the natural landscape of mountains and forest surrounding her home in Yixing. Her work scouting and personally excavating her clays from the hillsides brings her deep into nature, which comes through in Lai Xiahong’s hand-sculpted forms like this masterwork, a celebration of the curves, burls and irregularities of old growth trees and fallen logs. The warmth of the Di Cao Qing clay comes through with subtle mottling and depth, ready to take on luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning master potter Lai Xiahong loves drawing inspiration from traditions outside of pottery, particularly arts like weaving where formal aesthetics grew out of functional need. This tribute to rattan weaving celebrates the shared heritage of potters and weavers as makers of everyday and sacred vessels.  The detailed sculpting shows off Lai Xiahong’s tremendous skill as a potter, while the rare Lv Ni (naturally-green clay) shows of her blending and sourcing work in the subtle warm mottling.

This stunning Huang Jin Duan Ni teapot is part of Lai Xiaohong’s award-winning masterwork series combining the strength and elegance of classic form seamlessly with natural detail. The craft and time required to form a pot that transitions so perfectly between stark and clean abstraction to elegant touches of bamboo tests Lai Xiaohong’s skill and demands many dozens more hours of work to execute with her level of effortlessness. Qiu Fu, or the “Allure of Autumn” evokes the deeply meaningful concept of Yun (韵）used in tea, music and dance to describe a sensation that lingers with you, reverberates and transforms on itself long after the experience of art has passed. This piece evokes the reverberation of a gnarled tree branch viewed as a reflection in a still pond lit by moonlight. As a light breeze sweeps across the pond it creates ripples, reverberations, and transforms the still life into a dynamic and moving piece full of energy. Lai Xiaohong captures the poetry of this scene in clay.

This stunning Huang Jin Duan Ni teapot is part of Lai Xiaohong’s award-winning masterwork series combining the strength and elegance of classic form seamlessly with natural detail. The craft and time required to form a pot that transitions so perfectly between stark and clean abstraction to elegant touches of bamboo tests Lai Xiaohong’s skill and demands many dozens more hours of work to execute with her level of effortlessness.

Yi Fan Feng Shun or "Smooth Sailing" is unique in the forest series in the way it captures the motion of wind and water moving through a deep forest space, the way wind makes leaves ripple in harmony with each other, the way water moves across stone in hidden forest streams. Indeed the lid handle almost evokes a leaf caught and bent in the wind as it is carried away. This feeling of being transported effortlessly complements the joy of brewing gongfu tea as an afternoon flows by.

Lai Xiaohong’s masterwork Rabbit King teapot shows off everything that makes her famous; commanding sculptural form, meticulous expressive detail, and use of stunning contrasting clay. The Rabbit King depicts a stately rabbit perched on one of Lai Xiahong’s classic dynamic forms inspired by the Yi Li Zhu or pearl shape’ tradition. The rabbit is surrounded by rippling bands of Golden Duan Ni and Zi Ni clays, accentuating the mythological nature of the auspicious rabbit, a perfect companion for daily tea.

This stunning Zi Ni teapot is part of Lai Xiaohong’s award-winning masterwork series combining the strength and elegance of classic form seamlessly with natural detail. The craft and time required to form a pot that transitions so perfectly between stark and clean abstraction to elegant touches of bamboo tests Lai Xiaohong’s skill and demands many dozens more hours of work to execute with her level of effortlessness.

This teapot is a meditation on the overflowing abundance of spring, with bamboo and natural elements almost growing into and around the pot body. The stunning sculptural detail evokes the twisted irregularities of prized scholarly objects of contemplation- found objects in nature set up in the scholar studio to inspire. The deep Zi Ni clay will continue to grow more lustrous and beautiful over time.

This stunning Golden Duan Ni teapot is part of Lai Xiaohong’s award-winning masterwork series combining the strength and elegance of classic form seamlessly with natural detail. The craft and time required to form a pot that transitions so perfectly between gnarled pot body to lid and spout tests Lai Xiaohong’s skill and demands many dozens more hours of work to execute with her level of effortlessness. The Yuan He pot captures the spirit of a worn driftwood tree stump. Knots and burls tell a story of the tree’s life, and the whole pot comes together to give a sense of time, history and strength fitting as tribute to a great tree.

This audacious teapot is Lai Xiaohong in all her glory, showing off the meticulous mastery required to pull off this level of intricate detail. Yet, the way she brings everything together, this is meant to be a joyful piece, a clever nod to anyone watching rather than a dramatic entrance, a pot meant to be used, and loved. This piece is her tribute to weaving craft as on par with pottery as an ancient human tradition, and a reference to the way both are needed for the final cup of tea since fresh leaves are gathered in bamboo baskets and oolong is fired in bamboo baskets. The brilliant Da Hong Pao clay is ready to take on even deeper luster over years of use.

This stunning swirled Zi Ni teapot is part of Lai Xiaohong’s award-winning masterwork series combining the strength and elegance of classic form seamlessly with natural detail. The craft and time required to form a pot that transitions so perfectly between stark and clean abstraction to elegant touches of bamboo tests Lai Xiaohong’s skill and demands many dozens more hours of work to execute with her level of effortlessness.

This piece shows the gnarled detail of an ancient tree, in cross section with vibrant lines of life that show through as she works golden duan ni clay into the pot lid in contrast to Zi Ni to create this glowing effect that can only grow deeper and more beautiful over years of use.