Yixing teapot master Cheng Shouzhen
Cheng Shouzhen 程寿珍 (1865–1939), art name Bingxin Daoren (the Ice-Heart Daoist), was a native of Shangyuan Village in Yixing and a celebrated purple clay (zisha) teapot artisan active from the late Qing dynasty into the Republican era. He studied under his adoptive father, Shao Youting, and dedicated his entire life to crafting zisha teapots with consummate skill. His best-known works are the Duoqiu (Stacked Spheres) teapot, the Fanggu (Archaizing) teapot, and the Hanbian (Han-style Flattened) teapot — collectively hailed by later generations as the “Three Signature Shapes of Shouzhen.” His creations are marked by clean, uncluttered forms and smooth, flowing lines, achieving a seamless unity of practicality and beauty. He was particularly famous for his unique spout design, known as the “Shouzhen spout,” which ensures a smooth pour and a clean, crisp cut-off.
Cheng Shouzhen was the first Chinese zisha artisan to win awards at international expositions. His Duoqiu teapot captured gold medals at both the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition and the 1932 Chicago World’s Fair, earning international renown for Chinese purple clay art. He was also deeply involved in the transmission and promotion of zisha craftsmanship, serving at the Jiangsu Provincial Yixing Ceramics Factory and the Pottery Workers’ Training Institute, where he helped train a great number of talented potters.
Cheng Shouzhen’s works not only possess outstanding artistic merit but also embody the functional utility and understated beauty of the zisha teapot. To this day, they remain widely collected and deeply cherished by enthusiasts of purple clay art.
