This tea pot is made by highly regarded artist Mr Zhou Xiaode （周小德）and is 100% handcrafted (纯手工) without mould.

For an introduction of Mr Zhou Xiaode and what 100% handmade means, please read the following article:

Zhou Xiaode - 100% Handmade Yixing Tea Pots

We bought thirty tea pots directly from him back in 2010 and he has been promoted twice (2012 and 2017) since.

Mr Zhou is now a Craft Master (国家级工艺美术师) - the third most senior Yixing title in China. This means further appreciation of the value of his tea pots.

While 100% handmade tea pots can easily retail for $450 in China, we are selling these tea pots at highly discounted prices due to the need to clear up the inventory.

While it is perfectly fine to use glass or porcelain when steeping green tea, yixing clay is the material of choice for black and pu-erh tea.

Perhaps the most popular of classic design, Fang Gu (仿古) means "imitating the ancient".

The word Gu also means "drum". In the old days, Chinese scholars played drum and made aspirations about what they hoped to achieve in future, over a cup of tea.

This tea pot represents a positive outlook of life and vibrant energy. Can you hear the drums beating in the background as the soldiers are lining up to charge forward in the battlefield? This is what it is about.

A Fang Gu tea pot is broad and flat. The (pot) belly is strong and stout while the neck (handle) is high. The lid covers the pot seamlessly..

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What's the most important thing when buying a Yixing tea pot?

Yes, it is making the right connection with the creator - in this case - Mr Zhou Xiaode.

He is the only person that can get the design, functions and clay right.

You will find Mr Zhou's seal in two places: at the bottom and inside the pot (see enlarged photo). The four characters says "Zhou Xiao De Make".

The tea pot will come with 2 cups made from lower grade Yixing purple clay.

The price includes courier shipping. For US and Western Europe, it will take 5 to 10 days to arrive.

You see, although there are ten of thousands of potters in Yixing, only a few hundreds can be regarded as masters with official titles.

Born in Yixing in 1973, Mr Zhou was promoted to be Assistant Craft Master (助理工艺美术师) in 2012 and Craft Master (国家级工艺美术师) in 2017. This is highly promising as it is the third most senior title in the Yixing world, two steps away from the highest title of which there are only a handful of holders.

He specialized in making 100% handmade tea pots.

Zhou Xiaode - 100% Handmade Yixing Tea Pots

Yixing Chinese Tea Pot - A Gongfu Tea Drinker's Complete Guide

How to appreciate and buy a Yixing Chinese tea pot for gongfu tea brewing.

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