Since the history of tea spans several millennia, one might imagine that the teapot's history is equally ancient, dating back to before our era. However, this isn't the case: the teapot made its first appearances several centuries ago, certainly, but not a full millennium. It's by delving into texts related to the Yuan Dynasty (13th-14th centuries) that we find the first mentions of a teapot. Before that, the Tang Dynasty boiled ground tea in a cauldron, then poured it into bowls. The Song Dynasty, on the other hand, placed the ground tea directly into the serving bowls and poured boiling water over it. Does that remind you a bit of the process of making instant coffee?
It was during the Yuan dynasty that the teapot was born, loosely inspired by the wine jugs of the time, and it was during this period that this specific brewing tradition was established. For flavored tea reveals its aromas much better in a teapot! Once it appeared, the teapot never lost its relevance. By the following dynasty, the teapot was a common, popular, and cherished object. Thus, while the bowl (and therefore the gaiwan) appeared first, once the teapot came onto the scene, it never left the spotlight.

The first officially recognized teapot came to be known as the "Yixing." Its color immediately catches the eye: the Yixing teapot is made of red or purple clay. Over time, artists and potters began to paint these teapots, making them increasingly pleasing to the eye and thus giving them not only a practical function but also a decorative one. Many also inlaid them with silver and gold: the Yixing teapot consequently became an object of admiration and desire.