Qin Mu Yun: Jade Luster

Qin Mu Yun

Qin Mu Yun

National Master Industrial Artist
Winner of numerous national and regional awards
Works in permanent collections in various museums

Beginning her professional career in ceramic at 21 and then specialising in Yixing teapots at 23 in 1978, Qin Mu Yin has fully committed in the creation of classic style teapots with new designs and delicately different fine Yixing clays. This is a following of the reputable Master Chen Guo Liang 陳國良 whom she had worked under in the beginning of this long and fruitful career. Her works have a distinct personal style of being intricately feminine, exceptionally refined in workmanships, in the clay and in the pot form, and at the same time highly utilitarian.

Genuine works of hers are rare in the market. It was pure luck that we have found three pieces to include in this release, and could afford to price them very accessibly for our users.

Zisha-zhu-ni 紫砂朱泥

Qin states the material name zhu-ni with the prefix zisha. This is a practice by some artists in the context of a market flooded with products with non-genuine claims. Indeed the zhu-ni that this pot is made with is not only genuine, but also well matured, and very finely processed before pot making.

About genuine zhu-ni

Between 1960’s and 80’s, when Communist China had a completely encased and poor economy, one of the channels to gain income for the regime was to push for the export of Yixing teapots. A lot of the ores were heavily mined. Zhu-ni, a rarer variety in itself and a preferred one for a large portion of connoisseurs, was exploited heavily. In the late 80’s when they began allowing people to do business on their own, it just went crazy. All the ore origins were simply over mined, and mining accidents were frequent. The government imposed closures on all those that yielded zhu-ni in 1997. Although limited access to selected few has resumed since the 2010’s, good quality clay such as this piece by Qin is rare. She did not say whether the material came from an old stock pile or a newly mined one. It is a well matured and processed clay nevertheless.

Beyond the rarity of this ore, the nature of the clay tells more of how well the craft is. Zhu-ni is one of the most difficult clay to master with much lower malleability and yet extremely high shrinkage rate. With that understanding, it is easier to admire all the precise and detailed forms, joints and edges, proportions, fitting and ergonomics.

Jade Luster — Zhū Yuán Yù Rùn 珠圓玉潤

The unique design of this teapot is an reinterpretation of the classic form style of Yuán Zhū 圓珠, which Qin has poetically reverse and added on to become a traditional saying of zhū yuán yù rùn 珠圓玉潤 — “flawlessly rounded and lustrous like pearls and jade”. The phrase is typically used as a compliment or an expression of wonder.

Packing: Tea towel pull bag in collector’s case

All Yixing teapots at Tea Hong are delivered with a pull-string towel sack in a collector box with cushions inside.

Note:

Unless otherwise stated, all Yixing teapots are new from the kiln. Please properly clean and prepare them before making tea in them. There is a proper procedure to do that. It is described at:
Yixing Teapots, An Introduction | Tea Guardian

We try our best to represent the colours of all tea accessories, including Yixing teapots in the product photographs. However, there are many factors that we cannot control, including those that affect how the photos are rendered in your computer or mobile device. There maybe interpreted discrepancies between the colour as seen on this site and that of the product you receive.