Chinese objects in the University of St Andrews Museums were mainly donated by staff and alumni of the university. Its Chinese collection is small in scale, consisting of a sword, a bell, a silver ingot, Chinese cash coins, a vase with a crackled glaze dated 2018, and a Yixing clay teapot made in Jiangsu province. 

Yixing clay teapots are known for their high quality and heat retention, and the clay’s ability to interact with the tea by “absorbing” small amounts of tea flavours into the teapot. With each successive brewing (of the same type of tea), the accumulated flavours can enhance the taste and colour of tea in the Yixing clay teapots.