Lv Yaocheng

June 22, 2025

Lv Yaocheng

Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts (1993, 3rd Edition)
Senior Craft Artist
Representative Inheritor of National Intangible Cultural Heritage
Member of the Chinese Arts and Crafts Society
Member of the Chinese Ancient Ceramics Research Association
Member of the China Industrial Design Association
3rd "Asia-Pacific Handicraft Master"
Ceramic Art Committee Advisor of Jiangsu Province
Listed in The International Who's Who (Cambridge, UK) and Lifetime Member of the "World Famous People Association"

Born in 1940 in Gaoteng Town, Yixing, Jiangsu, Lü Yaocheng joined the Yixing Zisha (Purple Clay) Pottery Factory in 1958, where he apprenticed under the renowned master Wu Yungen to learn the art of Zisha pottery. Over the past five decades, he has dedicated himself to mastering and innovating the craft of Zisha teapots. Initially known as "Lü Bamboo" for his early style, he later absorbed diverse influences and boldly pioneered new techniques, ultimately developing the distinctive "Lü-style Teapot Art."

His groundbreaking "Lü-style Mixed Clay" technique revolutionized the traditional forms and essence of Zisha pottery, earning him the title of "Teapot Magician." His artistry bridges past and future, blending Eastern and Western aesthetics, setting a benchmark for his generation and inspiring new trends in the craft. Lü Yaocheng represents another extraordinary pinnacle in the evolution of traditional Zisha art in the 20th century.

In 2013, he appeared alongside artist Wu Guanzhong in the TV documentary Jiangnan. In 2006, during his solo exhibition Five Elements, Five Colors, he exchanged ideas with Zheng Xinmiao, then Vice Minister of Culture and Director of the Palace Museum. In 2012, The Complete Works of Chinese Arts and Crafts Masters – Lü Yaocheng Volume was launched alongside an exhibition of his finest Zisha works.