Teapot 06 — 扁圆壶 Bianyuanhu — Low rounded form

We acquired this collection from our old friend Zhang Tao, who personally purchased the teapots in Yixing and brought them to Canada in 2014. Their exact production dates are unknown, but we believe they were probably made in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Every piece is unique, with its own individual character and surface variations.

• Capacity: 140 mL
  
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha
• Compact body with rounded shoulders and a gently tapering base
• Upward-angled spout and circular loop handle
• Nearly flat, slightly raised lid with spherical finial
  
• Recessed circular base and impressed base and handle seals

The shape

扁圆壶 Bianyuanhu — Low rounded form

Rounded shoulders and a tapering base make the body softer than a straight cylinder. The low lid and spherical knob are compatible with the broad vocabulary of 仿古 (Fanggu), but the shape does not match the  strongly flattened body-and-cover sequence of Wuxi Museum’s example. “Low rounded form” is the primary description, with Fanggu retained as a related comparison rather than a definitive name. [CN1]

The story of the dragon kiln

In Dingshu Town (丁蜀镇), Yixing, Jiangsu, the Qianshu Ancient Dragon Kiln (前墅古龙窑) stretches up a hillside like a resting dragon. Dating to the Ming dynasty, its long firing chamber follows the slope: the incline encourages a natural draft, carrying heat upwards as fuel is fed through openings along the sides. It belongs to the landscape that nurtured Yixing’s purple-clay (紫砂) pottery culture.

The kiln is 43.4 metres long and was designated a nationally protected cultural site in 2006. Its history includes everyday pottery—basins, jars and other useful vessels—not only teapots. The local ceramic association calls it 活着的文物, a “living cultural relic.” Continued traditional firing preserves both the structure and the skills of the people who tend it. [K1] [K2]

In wood firing, the path of the flame, the atmosphere and deposits from the fuel can contribute to differences in colour and surface. These variations are part of the story supplied for this collection. A photograph alone cannot establish the exact firing conditions of an individual pot.

Sources

1. CN1. 无锡博物院：大亨仿古壶 — Wuxi Museum, 5 January 2020.
2. S1. British Museum, teapot, museum no. 2013,3007.365.
3. K1. Yixing Ceramic Industry Association, “前墅龙窑”.
4. K2. Yixing Municipal Government / Yixing Daily, “宜兴前墅龙窑获评‘国家工业遗产’,” 31 October 2025.