Cao Qimin 曹奇敏
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Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Master (3rd cohort, 2023) （Details of professional title certification）
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Professor-level Senior Craft Artist
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Certified Inheritor of Full-handmade Yixing Purple Clay Art
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Member of Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Committee
Born in 1970 in Yixing, the renowned “Pottery Capital” of China.
He studied under Master Shi Xiaoma 施小马.
In 1987, he joined Yixing Purple Clay Craft Factory, where he has been engaged in the creation and production of purple clay teapots ever since. His artistic approach emphasizes individuality and strives for a harmonious unity of form, spirit, and vitality ( xing, shen, qi ). He excels at integrating diverse techniques—such as twisted clay (jiaoni), inlay, and ceramic engraving—with traditional teapot-making, while infusing his work with the essence of classical Chinese culture. Through continuous exploration, insight, and synthesis, he has developed a distinctive personal style.
His works have won multiple Gold Awards at the China Traditional Arts and Crafts Fine Works Exhibition and Grand Prizes at the National Ceramic Art Design Innovation Competitions. They are collected by prestigious institutions including the China Purple Clay Museum, Shandong Provincial Museum, and Nanjing Museum, as well as by numerous private collectors.
Detailed Biography & Artistic Philosophy
Cao Qimin is a Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Master, a professor-level senior craft artist, a certified inheritor of full-handmade Yixing purple clay techniques, and a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Committee.
Born in Yixing in 1970, he began his career at the Yixing Purple Clay Craft Factory in 1987. In 1992, he attended and graduated from the Professional Training Class of the Ceramic Design Department at the Central Academy of Arts and Design (now the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University). He studied under the renowned contemporary purple clay master Shi Xiaoma.
Cao Qimin’s artistic style is marked by a strong sense of individuality and a relentless pursuit of the harmonious integration of “form, spirit, and energy.” He advocates innovation grounded in tradition, weaving the essence of classical Chinese culture into his teapot creations. He has formulated a 12-character appraisal principle for teapots: “Balance, Proportion, Harmony, Flow, Roundness, and Spirit” (zhongzheng, pingheng, xietiao, guanqi, yuanrong, qiyun), emphasizing the perfect union of inner vitality and outer form. He is proficient in combining techniques such as twisted clay (jiaoni), inlay, and engraved decoration with traditional methods, and he continuously refines his practice through deep study and personal transformation, eventually forging his own distinctive artistic voice.
Selected Awards
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2002 – Twisted-clay Golden Rule Teapot – Gold Award, East China Arts and Crafts Excellence Prize
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2006 – Northern Wei Statue Teapot and Han-square Teapot – Gold Awards, 8th China (National) Masterpieces of Arts and Crafts Expo & China Fine Arts and Crafts Outstanding Works Selection
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2010 – Hermit’s Longevity – Gold Award; Twisted-clay Square Teapot – Traditional Art Gold Award, 12th China (National) Masterpieces of Arts and Crafts Expo
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2014 – Path Without Obstacles and Twisted-clay Preaching – Dual Gold Awards, 16th China (National) Masterpieces of Arts and Crafts Expo
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2017 – Solo Recitation – Gold Award, 2017 Yibo Cup Jiangsu Provincial Arts and Crafts Excellence Competition
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2020 – Solo Recitation – Gold Award, 9th “Earth Prize” China Ceramic Innovation and Design Competition
