Ji Yu (集玉) Golden Duan Ni Yixing Teapot

集玉 - 黄金段泥 - 忠泽良

This piece was crafted by the young artist Zhong Ze Liang, a highly gifted craftsman and designer working in the studio of acclaimed National Master Shi Yin Zhi.

A clean, classic piece in supreme grade Golden Duan Ni (黄金段泥) from HuangLong Shan Mountain.

The name translates roughly as “A Jade Collection”. The form and texture is indeed evocative of a jade piece, radiant and luminous from within. As with many of Zhong’s pieces, the line and form is very minimal, but executed in the highest quality and rarest clay, allowing the material to speak for itself.

A traditional large single-hole filter gives a powerful and strong pour — a steel mesh filter attachment will be provided to suit your preference. 

Only two pieces available and unlikely to be produced in this rare clay again.

About the Clay

This clay is supreme grade Golden Duan Ni, worthy of heirloom quality pieces. A small batch of this nonpareil material was sourced by Zhong Ze Liang and his family in 2018, aged for 5 years before being brought out to craft in 2023. Golden Duan Ni of this quality is extremely rare on the market, often unobtainable even at high prices unless the artist has deep connections. 

Microscopic examination of the finished clay shows a stunning mix of rich purple clay “zi ni” flecks among the deep gold and yellow particles. This is top grade zisha Duan Ni texture at its best, but it is also hard to work with and cracks easily during firing. Given the dwindling amount of this precious clay remaining, the artist rarely works with it, and only makes small 2-3 piece runs of each design. 

Click here to learn more about this studio: The House of Shi

CARE OF YOUR ZISHA

1. To clean your new teapot, first rinse well inside and out with lukewarm water. Then fill with hot water just off the boil, steep for 30s and pour out. Repeat the hot water rinse 2-3 times as needed.
2. Brew your favorite tea!
3. After the session, empty the spent leaf and rinse out well with hot water. Dry the exterior gently with a soft cloth if needed to remove any stains that remain.
4. Air dry in a well-ventilated area with the lid removed. 

Other Tips:

• Never use detergent or any other cleaning agent on Zisha!
• Our Zisha is top quality; boiling with tea leaves (or tofu) before use is not needed.
• Your teapot will develop a patina through regular use and care. Avoid pouring tea over the exterior of the pot to hasten the process, this will quickly result in a “dirty” looking pot.