Yixing Factory One “Rou Bing” Teapot by Li Dandi, Zisha Body with Hongni Slip (late 1970s), 60ml
This teapot was made by Li Dandi (李旦娣) at Yixing Factory One in the late 1970s. In Taiwan, this low and flattened form is commonly nicknamed Rou Bing Hu (肉餅壺) or Rou Bian Hu (肉扁壺), literally “meat-patty” or “flattened meat” teapot, while the more formal form name belongs to the broader Bian Hu (扁壺) family.
What makes this piece particularly distinctive is its “purple inside, red outside” (內紫外紅) construction. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, demand for red-clay teapots from Hong Kong and Taiwan increased sharply. To meet this market preference, some Factory One teapots were made with a zisha body coated externally with a fine hongni slip, creating the appearance of a bright red-clay pot while retaining a purple-clay body beneath.
This construction gives the pot a character of its own. The interior behaves more like traditional zisha in brewing, with a somewhat softer and more absorptive interaction with tea, while the exterior has the warmer, brighter visual quality associated with hongni. The contrast between the two materials makes these pots a particularly recognizable product of their era.
Li Dandi is a well-recognized name among Factory One collectors, and pieces attributed to her generally command a premium compared with more anonymous production of the same period. This is largely due to the consistently high standard of her workmanship: her pots are known for clean construction, balanced proportions, and refined finishing. In a form as simple and exposed as this low, flattened teapot, that level of control is especially easy to appreciate.
The broad, low body provides ample room for tea leaves to open and gives the pot a stable, grounded profile. Combined with its relatively uncommon “inner zisha, outer hongni” construction and the maker attribution to Li Dandi, this piece is interesting not only as a practical brewing vessel, but also as a representative example of Factory One craftsmanship and export-market adaptation during the late 1970s.
A distinctive Factory One teapot that brings together good craftsmanship, an important maker, and one of the more characteristic material experiments of its era.
Care Instructions
Not suitable for dishwashers or microwaves.
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