Whether your favorite tea tipple is colored green or black, the receptacle that is perfect for pouring it from may well be purple or some other color.

For that is the color of the teapots produced in the city of Yixing, Jiangsu province, known all over China for its production of its exquisite ceramic wares.

Thousands of craftsmen and women make these unglazed ceramic teapots, known as Zisha pots, in studios, factories and boutiques throughout the city.