This studio makes the finest unglazed gaiwans we've seen. Dai Xiang is located in the heart of Jinghong, capital of Xishuangbanna, Austin's sister city in China. They continue the ancient pottery tradition of the Dai people, one of China's 57 official ethnic groups and the majority population in Xishuangbanna. Their work incorporates traditional Dai motifs, techniques, and clay to make stunning unglazed wares.
This beautiful gaiwan showcases the diversity of Dai clay with its rich red color. The lid and bowl feature stylized flame/stupa figures with Dai calligraphy. The Dai script is related to Thai and ultimately descended from the Devanagari script of India. Here, it is used to inscribe traditional blessings of good fortune on the gaiwan. Being unglazed, this gaiwan will take on the flavor of tea made in it. Due to this quality, wares like this are often dedicated to a single type or category of tea. This gaiwan is on the larger side, with a volume of ~200ml.
