ZHENGHONGJUN | Beauty Shoulder teapot

Beauty Shoulder: "Abundance Every Year" Fish Motif Yixing Teapot  
Overview  
The Beauty Shoulder (美人肩) teapot is a timeless classic in Yixing pottery, renowned for its graceful, feminine contours and profound cultural symbolism. This vessel pays homage to the carp fish motif, evoking the Chinese idiom "Nian Nian You Yu" (年年有余), which plays on the homophone for "fish" and "abundance," symbolizing prosperity, surplus, and good fortune year after year.  

Design & Artistry  

* The Sculpture: This piece embodies the "Hua Su" (flower and animal) style of Yixing craftsmanship. The spout, handle, and lid knob are subtly integrated into the pot's elegant, shoulder-like form, mimicking the fluid motion of water. The body features a masterful relief carving of a leaping carp fish, its scales textured with intricate detail to capture the shimmer and vitality of aquatic life, accompanied by a smaller fish below, suggesting harmony and continuity.  

* Fish Motif Details: The engraved carp, rendered in bold, flowing lines, leaps dynamically across the pot's surface, symbolizing transformation and success—as in the legend of the carp jumping the Dragon Gate. Accompanying inscriptions in traditional Chinese script add a poetic touch, enhancing the narrative of abundance and renewal.  

* Material: Fashioned from authentic Zini (Purple Clay), sourced from Yixing's renowned deposits. This mineral-rich clay offers superior porosity, allowing it to interact with tea over time, mellowing flavors and developing a rich, aged sheen.  

Functional Excellence  

* Balanced Pour: The pot's ergonomic design, with its gently sloping shoulder and curved spout, ensures a smooth, drip-free pour, making it as practical as it is artistic.  

* Precision Engineering: The lid secures with a precise, airtight fit, achieved through expert control of the clay's firing process, preserving heat and aroma during steeping.  

Tea Pairing Recommendations  
The absorbent nature of Zini clay excels with teas that evolve through multiple infusions, absorbing and enhancing subtle notes:  

* Green Teas: Such as Longjing, to highlight their fresh, vegetal brightness.  

* Lightly Oxidized Oolongs: Like Tieguanyin, where the clay softens any bitterness.  

* Herbal Infusions: To infuse prosperity-themed rituals with floral or fruity blends.  

Why We Love It  
At Tea Dealers, we cherish vessels that blend folklore with functionality. The Beauty Shoulder teapot with its fish motif is more than a brewing tool—it's a symbol of enduring prosperity, perfect for collectors seeking cultural depth or tea enthusiasts desiring a daily reminder of abundance in every pour.