Mei Bao Chun Hu - 110ml

This teapot was made for spring—just like its name, Baochun Hu, the Spring Herald. Everything wonderful about spring is in it: the quiet elegance of plum blossoms, the resilience of bamboo, the unwavering strength of pine and cypress. A piece of nature, tamed by human hands. According to the old archives of the Yixing Zisha Factory, this design first came to life in the 1970s, created by the legendary Zhu Kexin. The earliest version, the Mei Baochun Hu (Plum Blossom Spring Herald), was the blueprint—later, bamboo, cypress, pine, and peach variations followed. Decades later, this series remains a Yixing classic, beloved by collectors and seasoned tea drinkers alike.

The Mei Baochun Hu comes in different clay types—blended purple clay, Black Star clay, Qingshui clay, Duan clay, and Xiao Hong Ni (Little Red Clay). Sizes range from single-cup capacity to ones so large they’re more decorative than practical. I’ve collected over twenty myself, including a few giants that now serve as tea caddies. But the ones I actually use, the ones that feel just right in hand, are between 110ml and 180ml. Two in particular—one in Xiao Hong Ni, one in Qingshui clay—belong to my go-to companions ; always within reach. This particular Xiao Hong Ni teapot, now up for sale, is from the same era. After acquiring it, I cleaned and seasoned it properly, then put it away, untouched until a morning when I brought it out again and let it wake up with a few brews of red tea.

Yixing Factory’s Xiao Hong Ni is truly something special—red as a morning sun, smooth as polished jade. It doesn’t take long to develop a soft glow, an understated elegance that only deepens with time. The best part? Watching the transformation. The moment boiling water hits, the whole pot darkens, shifting to a deep red, sometimes even violet. The surface turns glossy, with a quiet, almost metallic coolness. Then, as it cools, the color slowly fades back. Over and over, steep after steep, the pot and the tea refine each other, ever-changing, never dull.

This one dates back to the early 1980s—110ml, with a pour time of 10 seconds. The base bears the classic “China Yixing” stamp, and the underside of the lid is marked with Hong Hua, a factory craftsman from the time. Because of its small size and curved spout, the pour is a little slower, so you’ll want to adjust your timing—pour a second or two earlier to avoid over-extracting. Small details, but ones that make all the difference.