The name 水平壶 (shuǐpíng hú) literally means “horizontal teapot.” This is not a widely codified historic category in classical ceramic taxonomy, so the exact canonical form is ambiguous; different workshops and potters may use the term for slightly different shapes. With that caveat, the name typically suggests a teapot whose visual axis is emphasized horizontally—a low, flattened or squat body with a broad silhouette rather than a tall, upright profile.
Historically, teapot shapes evolved over many centuries in China (early teapots appear in the late Yuan–Ming periods, with the celebrated Yixing stoneware tradition developing in the 16th century). Potters have long adapted forms for practical brewing needs and aesthetic trends, inventing descriptive names that reflect a piece’s posture or function. Horizontal or flattened variants have been produced in both Yixing and porcelain workshops in later imperial and modern periods as part of that creative continuum.
Shape note: a “horizontal” teapot typically features a low center of gravity, a wide body, a relatively short spout and a lid that follows the low profile—sometimes paired with a side or loop handle. Such proportions favor stable placement, a broad infusion chamber and a distinctive, quietly modern aesthetic.
Wood-fired handmade Yixing teapot made from Duanni clay sourced from the original Huanglongshan mine. Xu Shun Wei.
