For centuries, YiXing teapots have held a unique place in Chinese tea culture. Made from the mineral-rich clay known as Zi Sha, they are not merely vessels: they are objects in which geology, craftsmanship, history, aesthetics, and practice converge.

Understanding a Yixing teapot means learning to look beyond its shape. Where does the clay come from? What distinguishes Zi Ni from Hong Ni or Duan Ni? How is a piece of clay extracted from the mountain transformed into a finished piece? What do its proportions, lid, spout, texture, and manufacturing method tell us about its quality and use?

Throughout this course, we explore that world starting from its roots. We’ll trace the evolution of tea in China and the origins of Yixing teapots, explore Huang Long Shan and the main varieties of Zi Sha clay, learn about master potters and historical styles, observe the production and firing processes, and gain practical knowledge for evaluating, selecting, using, and caring for these pieces.

The journey culminates where the teapot truly comes into its own: in practice. Through demonstrations of Gong Fu Cha, the Tai Ji ceremony, and the everyday use of Yixing, history and technique cease to be isolated concepts and become part of the act of preparing tea.

A course for those who want to explore YiXing not as an exotic or decorative object, but as a living tradition: a material born of the earth, shaped by generations of artisans, and transformed—cup by cup—by those who use it.