Yixing teapot master Pei Shimin
Pei Shimin 裴石民 (1892–1976), originally named Pei Yunqing 裴云庆 and also known as Pei Deming 裴德铭, was a master of Yixing purple clay (zisha) art held in the highest esteem, widely acclaimed as the “Second Chen Mingyuan.”
Life and Career
Born in Shushan Town, Yixing, Jiangsu, Pei Shimin began his apprenticeship at the age of fourteen under his brother-in-law Jiang Zuchen 江祖臣 . He later changed his name to “Shimin,” signifying his resolve to spend his life in the company of zisha clay. His early years were marked by hardship; poverty forced him to leave school, but through natural talent and tireless diligence, he gradually rose to prominence in zisha circles. In 1915, he contributed to exhibits produced by the Yixing Liyong Pottery Company for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, and his works were awarded a gold medal, bringing him considerable fame. In 1925, he was invited to Shanghai to make pottery for the celebrated magician Mo Wuqi. During this period, he was exposed to a wealth of antique Ming and Qing zisha vessels, which greatly refined his archaizing skills, earning him the epithet “the Second Chen Mingyuan.” He returned to Yixing in 1938 and opened the “Shimin Pottery Shop,” where he crafted and sold his own wares. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was honored as one of the “Seven Elders of Purple Clay” and dedicated himself to transmitting zisha skills, nurturing a large number of young talents.
Artistic Achievements
Pei Shimin excelled in archaizing vessels and remarkably lifelike simulations of fruit. His repertoire encompassed teapots, flowerpots, scholarly objects, and ornamental pieces, combining the sturdiness of archaic bronzes with the refined elegance of literati wares. His representative works include the “Squirrel and Grape Teapot,” the “Pine-Section Teapot,” the “Five Bats and Peach Teapot,” and the “Gongchun Teapot.” The Squirrel and Grape Teapot, crafted from zisha with entwining vines, plump grapes, and vividly animated squirrels, once fetched a high auction price of 1.8 million RMB. He also fittingly crafted replacement lids and stands for the Ming-dynasty “Gongchun Teapot” and the “Shengsi Peach Cup” — achievements that have become legendary in zisha history.
Contributions as a Mentor
Pei Shimin was exceptionally strict in choosing his disciples. Over his entire lifetime, he formally accepted only a handful of students — including Pan Chunfang 潘春芳, Xu Chengquan 许成权, He Daohong 何道洪 , and Cao Wanfen 曹婉芬 — yet he taught them without reserve. His teaching method emphasized hands-on practice; he often led his students to observe nature and copy antique models, stressing the principle of “learning from nature and achieving unity of form and spirit.” His pupils He Daohong and Cao Wanfen later became prominent contemporary zisha masters, carrying forward the craft and spirit of Pei’s floral-design tradition.
Artistic Style
Pei Shimin’s works are predominantly small- and medium-sized pieces, distinguished by extraordinary conceptualization and a masterly balance between simplicity and complexity. His plain, unadorned teapots are elegant and ethereally refined, while his floral and sculptural pieces display an endless variety of forms. For each design, he would produce at most five or six pieces, and in some cases as few as one or two, pursuing an aesthetic of “sparse but exquisite, few but wondrous.” He placed great emphasis on the selection and combination of clay colors, expertly using different clays to represent different subjects — red clay for the delicate vibrancy of plum blossoms, and purple clay for the vigorous strength of pine and bamboo. His simulation fruit pieces, such as water chestnuts and peanuts, are rendered with such rich, realistic coloring that they appear almost true to life.
Pei Shimin’s life was a journey of both inheriting and innovating purple clay art. He not only preserved traditional techniques but also infused zisha art with fresh vitality through his unique artistic vision and uncompromising creative ethos, making him an irreplaceable master figure in the history of purple clay
