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.