Dragon Son Gaiwan

This gaiwan is part of a new line of teaware from Liu Shisan, a pottery artist in Jingdezhen known for his creativity and expressive style. This style is also at work here—he took inspiration from ceramics that were popular during the Song dynasty and added modern elements to them to produce teaware that is striking, both in terms of shape and the motives that are drawn on it.

Crested with the Dragon Son motif—a red dragon floating through a sea of blue clouds —the two-tiered shape of this tall gaiwan resembles a gourd, which, when combined with its otherwise warm and earthy appearance, suggests a field ready to bring a bountiful harvest. Like plants rising up from the ground, dry tea leaves will begin their journey at the bottom of the vessel and float to the top as they are doused in hot water. The small rim makes this gaiwan especially easy to handle, though for the most comfortable grip, it’s best not to fill it completely to the brim, as it may get hot when full. Its wide top offers plenty of space for your tea leaves to unfurl beautifully, ensuring a full and rich extraction without crowding. Use this gaiwan if you want to get everything out of your tea.

The Fenghuang cup and the Monk cup, along with the Blue Rainbow gaiwan, Dragon Son pitcher, and Fenghuang plate round out this collection to provide you with a full tea set’s worth of Liu Shisan’s artistry.

Please note that all items in this collection are fully handmade, so there will be some variation with regards to size, shape, and glazing.

Written by Sigi

About the Artist

We've already featured the work of Liu Shisan, whose rough, expressive work we discovered and admired on a teaware-sourcing trip to 'the Porcelain Capital' of Jingdezhen. He forms his pieces by hand, on the wheel, but it's the tweaks, pinches, and strokes that give his pieces a larger-than-life character; his pitchers are particularly unique. We paid him another visit in 2024 and got a tour of his studio: