Chen Mingyuan
Chen Mingyuan, also known as Hefeng （鹤峰）, Shixia Shanren（石霞山人）, and Huyin （壶隐） (Hidden in Teapots), was an outstanding purple clay artist during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. He often incorporated natural forms into his teapots, blending cultural elegance with innovative designs. His works carried a classical charm while breaking new ground, making him a pioneering master of "floral-style" purple clay art.
His creations were diverse, including teapots, cups, vases, water containers, and more. His lifelike sculptures of fruits and vegetables in purple clay radiated vitality and enriched the art form with a strong sense of everyday joy.
A Turning Point at Eighteen
In the fourth year of Kangxi (1665), a young man sat deep in thought in his study, the flickering lamplight casting shadows on his uncertain face.
He had earned a place in the Imperial College, a rare achievement, but without money to secure an official post, his efforts to advance in the scholarly world led only to repeated failures. His family was skilled in pottery, and his reputation in purple clay art was growing. Yet, choosing craftsmanship over scholarship left him conflicted.
Life rarely offers perfect choices—sometimes, half-satisfaction must suffice. After long contemplation, he seemed to find his answer. Pushing open the door at dawn, the faint morning light outlined his departing figure...
This was eighteen-year-old Chen Mingyuan. Little did he know that twenty years later, he would be exceptionally recorded in the Yixing County Chronicles—an extraordinary honor, as local chronicles traditionally only documented deceased individuals of proven merit.
Legacy of a Master
Chen Mingyuan, also called Hefeng, was the third son of Ting Shan. Born on August 17, 1648, he lived to the age of 82. As a scholar of the Imperial College, he never entered officialdom, but his works reflected profound literary refinement—elegant inscriptions, playful floral designs, and a timeless aesthetic.
A well-read man, he befriended many scholars and artists, including Wang Wenbo, Zha Shenxing, and others, who often praised his craftsmanship. The Yixing County Chronicles noted that his skill in making teapots, cups, and vases rivaled that of earlier masters, while his calligraphy and designs surpassed them.
Though best known for his floral-style works, Mingyuan was a versatile genius—mastering round, square, floral, ribbed, and scholar’s objects with equal brilliance. Unlike the ornate, gold-decorated purple clay pieces popular in the Kangxi era, his works embraced simplicity, often adorned only with poetic inscriptions.
A Scholar at Heart
"Why seek pearls and jades from the world? / Better the clay of Yixing’s hills. / How many possess such skill through the ages? / Chen Mingyuan stands alone."
These lines, written by Wang Wenbo in Ode to Pottery—For Mingyuan, capture the artist’s legacy. Despite his fame, Mingyuan remained, at heart, the Imperial College scholar who once pondered his future by lamplight.
In his later years, he wandered the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, living like a hermit, detached from worldly pursuits. The lamp that burned in his youth finally dimmed.
"Alas, he passes, / While earthenware still sings."
(Note: Historical references are based on Yixing Archives and Mingyuan’s family records.)
