Gaiwan Yixing

This is a dark gaiwan of Yixing clay, glazed with white color on the inside. A gaiwan is a type of Chinese tea cup with lid, and is a popular way to prepare tea in China. You use the lid as a strainer and move the tea, put on the lid, and by a smaller gap, pour out the tea.

Gaiwan is often used as a teapot to pour into a pitcher, but you can also drink directly from a gaiwan like a teacup, where the lid is used to move the tea aside.