Among classic purple clay Teapots, people tend to favor the Shipiao pot the most. The Shipiao pot typically comes in two variations: the Ziyi Shipiao and the Jingzhou Shipiao. Due to its practicality and powerful direct spout, the water flow of a Shipiao pot is rarely matched by other shapes.

The Ziyi Shipiao has a relatively tall body, so its mouth is tighter, making it difficult for many enthusiasts to clean the leaves or add Tea.

The Jingzhou Shipiao, with its shorter body, has a wider mouth that facilitates adding tea and cleaning. However, its lid knob is less comfortable to hold compared to the Ziyi Shipiao. The Jingzhou Shipiao features a bull-nose lid knob that is short and awkward to grasp. If the knob were made taller for ease of handling, the overall appearance would become awkward and unappealing, making the pot look cumbersome.

Let's take a look at the original Jingzhou Shipiao designed by Gu Jingzhou. With a larger capacity of over 500 CC, the lid knob is large and easy to grip. However, when using a Purple Clay Teapot, one doesn't usually need such a large capacity for brewing tea.

A capacity of two to three hundred CC is more commonly used. Although the lid knob on the Jingzhou Shipiao is smaller, have you noticed that the lid itself is larger than on the Ziyi Shipiao? You can easily pick up the lid by gripping the edge, as it extends out slightly, making it very convenient to handle.