If you are a tea drinker drawn to teapots with a distinctive sculptural language, rich in Eastern philosophy and perfectly suited to gongfu brewing, then the Banyue Half-Moon Teapot in Nixing Ceramic with Sacred Turtle Motif, 160ml is a piece not to be missed. The pot presents itself with a quiet, absolutely refined beauty, shaped by the hands of artisan Hu Dongli.
Disciplined proportions: The banyue (half-moon) form carries soft, flowing curves that stand for the graceful, supple beauty of a crescent moon filling toward fullness.
Optimal heat behaviour: The tapered, rounded body lets the water swirl evenly as boiling water is poured in, holding and releasing heat uniformly. A moderately wide mouth combined with a thick, sturdy ear-shaped handle lets the brewer hold the pot very firmly, for light and precise handling.
Finely carved tortoise shell: The most prized feature of the piece is the raised relief lines tracing the guijia (tortoise shell) pattern that wraps around the body of the pot, along with the antique-coin motifs around the lid. Every shell panel is even and balanced, showing the exceptionally high craftsmanship of artisan Hu Dongli.
Sacred turtle lid knob: The standout detail, clearly visible in the main photograph, is the lid knob, modelled by hand into an extraordinarily lifelike sacred turtle.
Deep feng shui meaning: The turtle is one of the four sacred creatures, a symbol of longevity and enduring resilience; it brings peace, guards the home against ill fortune and draws steady wealth to its owner.
A dense, lustrous body that breathes well: Made from the distinctive clay of the Qinzhou region (Guangxi) – one of China's four great ceramic traditions. After high-temperature firing, the pot is as hard and dense as bronze, yet its inner structure retains a measured porosity that lets it breathe, so the tea liquor keeps a clean, silky sweetness and releases its natural fragrance.
Natural kiln-transmuted colour: The pot is entirely unglazed; its sombre blackish-brown tone shot with earthy red is the result of the temperature shifts inside the kiln (kiln transmutation). The longer it is used, the more the surface takes on its "baojiang" patina, growing glossier and smoother.
A powerful stream: Inside the spout sits a 14-hole filter, drilled crisply by hand.
A clean cut-off: The large number of filter holes lets the tea flow out extremely fast and freely, forming a beautiful round stream with no worry of broken leaf clogging the neck of the spout, giving cups of perfectly clear, clean tea.
All products are in stock and on display in our shops.
