Yixing teapot artist Chen Cheng 陈成

Chen Cheng
Senior Master of Arts and Crafts (Professor‑level)

• Member of the China National Arts and Crafts Society

• Member of the China Purple Clay (Zisha) Society

• Member of the China Zisha Industry Association

• Member of the Jiangsu Ceramic Art Association

• Representative Inheritor of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Project (Yixing)

• Recipient of the “March 8th Red‑Banner Pacesetter” title

  

Biography & Artistic Journey

Born in 1952 in Yixing, the renowned “Capital of Pottery,” Chen Cheng established her Zisha research studio at the China Yixing Ceramics Museum, where she devotes herself to the design and full‑handmade creation of purple clay teapots.

Her artistic path began in 1972, when she first apprenticed under the celebrated flower‑style (floral‑shaped teapot) master Gu Daorong. She later became a disciple of He Daohong, a National Master of Arts and Crafts. Driven by deep passion and sincerity, even after attaining the rank of national‑level craft artist, she continued to learn humbly from masters of various styles, remaining faithful to Zisha traditions. Guided by the masterpieces and earnest teachings of her predecessors, her artistic vision has matured steadily over the years.

Artistic Philosophy & Style

Chen Cheng’s works are distinguished by organic forms and inherent charm. She refines abstraction from lifelike realism and conveys poetic resonance through simplicity. Her flower‑style pieces embed “simplicity” within intricate shapes, presenting vividness with subtle restraint; her polished plain‑style works feature smooth, balanced contours that conform to visual harmony.

For over forty years, her relentless pursuit of innovation has been grounded in an authentic heart. To her, Zisha ceramics transcend mere craftsmanship—they encompass profound cultural depth. The art embraces not only clay and space, but more importantly a rich traditional heritage, which endows it with such deep allure and emotional power. Following the Daoist principle of “emulating nature,” she seamlessly integrates elements from flora, insects, and birds into her teapot designs. While her realistic works are rooted in verisimilitude, she transforms them through uniquely Zisha‑specific techniques—treating every branch and leaf with the deliberate, stylized grace of a theatrical gesture. This approach preserves the art’s distinctive character: a jade‑like tactility, a harmonious and understated solidity, and an embodiment of the moderate, balanced Eastern cultural ethos. Over time, she has thus forged her own distinctive artistic language.

Major Themes & Representative Works

Her representative pieces—including the Gongchun Tea Set, Bell of Cold Mountain, Great Unity, and Pastoral Charm—have been exhibited at provincial and national craft art fairs, winning multiple gold, silver, and bronze awards. Although her realistic works emphasize verisimilitude, she always processes them through Zisha’s unique aesthetic, much like every branch and leaf in a theatrical performance, retaining that distinctive “flavor” of warmth, solidity, and oriental moderation.

Publications & Textbooks

She has published several professional papers in provincial‑level journals, such as:

• “The Natural Aesthetic Charm of Zisha Teapot ‘Flower‑Style’ Works”

• “On the Design and Production of Flower‑Style Zisha Teapots”

• “A Brief Discussion on the Cultural Connotations of Zisha Teapots”

Her Ruyi (Everything‑As‑You‑Wish) Teapot has been included in the fifth‑grade textbook Taowa Xue Zisha (Children Learn Zisha).

Collections & Exhibitions

Her works are held in the collections of prominent figures, including Li Tieying, Fei Xiaotong, and Chen Limin, as well as in several museums. In May 2007, she held a solo exhibition of her Zisha ceramic art at the University of Macau Library.

Chronology of Artistic Achievements

• 1992 – Works Sixteen Bamboos and Centenarian Peach Tree Stump published in The World of Pots (Huzhong Tiandi); pieces Welcoming Three Friends Pine Segment and Pumpkin included in Zisha Elegance.

• 1996 – Listed in the Dictionary of Chinese Celebrities in recognition of her outstanding contributions to society.

• 1997 – Works Three Friends, Bamboo Section, and Golden Monkey Tasting Fresh included in Contemporary Yixing Ceramic Art Masters.

• 2000 – Work Stone Rat wins Bronze at the 2nd China Craft Arts & Masters Expo; Golden Monkey Tasting Fresh receives Excellence Award and is included in Collection Guide; Jade Rabbit is selected for the Hong Kong World Collectors Centre.

• 2000–2001 – Her paper “On the Design and Production of Flower‑Style Zisha Teapots” wins an Excellence Award in the Yixing Outstanding Academic Paper Selection and is later published in Jiangsu Ceramics (2002).

• 2001 – Traditional Stoneware Teapot (Shipiao) wins Gold at the Macao World Cultural Exchange Conference; Bell of Cold Mountain is collected by Mr. Fei Xiaotong and included in Soul of Ceramics.

• 2002 – Featured in an article “Master Chen Cheng’s Zisha Teapots Favoured by Merchants” in Hebei Daily; Gongchun Teapot wins Gold and Wishing Teapot wins Silver at the China (Shijiazhuang) International Expo; both are also selected for the Taiwan‑published Appreciation of Treasures.

• 2002–2003 – Works Night Scene and Spring Scene win Excellence Awards and are included in China’s Top Ten Zisha Teapots.

• 2004 – Works Endless Years – Listening to the Sea and Bell of Cold Mountain are permanently collected by the China Yixing Ceramics Museum; Poem of Moonlight wins Gold at the Wuxi Taihu Expo; Great Unity wins the Art Innovation Gold Award at the Shanghai Masters’ Fine Works Exhibition.

• 2005 – Pastoral Charm wins the Art Innovation Gold Award at the same Shanghai exhibition; Poetic Dew is permanently collected by Wuxi Museum; Ruyi Teapot is selected for the fifth‑grade textbook Taowa Xue Zisha; Bell of Cold Mountain is again favoured by Mr. Li Tieying, who inscribed calligraphy and seal script on it; Great Unity, Bell of Cold Mountain, and Spring‑Announcing Tea Set are included in Contemporary Chinese Zisha Art – Masters’ Collection.

• 2006 – Named “Zisha Art Celebrity Beloved by Chinese Collectors.”

• 2007 – Solo exhibition of Zisha ceramic works at the University of Macau Library (May).

• 2009 – Peach Orchard is permanently collected by Shandong Museum; Peach Orchard, Moon Appreciation, and Bell of Cold Mountain are included in Sixty Zisha Masters for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of China.

• 2010 – Works Heaven and Earth One Square and Great Unity are included in the international publication Chinese Zisha Ceramics.

• 2013 – Square Bamboo Tripod is permanently collected by Heilongjiang Museum; Prayer with Handle is permanently collected by Jilin Museum; in October, works Elegance, Lotus Flower, and Duofu are selected for the “Wind of Pottery, Love of Jilin” Yixing Zisha Hundred Pots Collection.

• 2014 – Elegance is collected by Jilin Provincial Museum (January).

• 2015 – Named Representative Inheritor of the Yixing Intangible Cultural Heritage Project (June); Full Garden Spring wins Gold at the 17th China (National) Masters of Arts and Crafts Expo (December).

• 2017 – Pine Charm Teapot receives a Special Honour Award at the 3rd National Ceramic Skills Competition and the 12th Yixing Handmade Pottery Contest (May); the same work is included in the 2017 Outstanding Handmade Pottery Collection (June); Jade Belt Teapot is collected by Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Museum (July).

• 2018 – Crooked Handle Plum Stump Teapot is collected by the China Zisha Museum (December); Lotus Seed Teapot obtains a National Intellectual Property Design Patent (March).

• 2019 – Red Plum and Green Bamboo Teapot obtains a National Intellectual Property Design Patent (March).

written by siyutao art team