Recognized as a Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Master (third cohort, 2023), Zhou Zhongjun holds the senior professional titles of National Class-A Artisan and Senior Craft Artist for Rural Revitalization. He has also been named one of Yixing's Top Ten Young Ceramic Artists and a recipient of the city's inaugural "Civilized Purple-Sand Practitioner" honor. He is an active member of the China Folk Literature and Art Association, the Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Association, and the Jiangsu Ceramic Art Committee.
Born in Yixing, Jiangsu, in 1971, Zhou now dedicates himself to purple-sand (zisha) design and creation at Bohanxuan Studio, which operates under the Yixing Purple-Sand Craft Factory. After graduating in 1990, he furthered his training at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1994, enrolling in the ceramic design program to deepen his knowledge of form and modeling. His artistic foundation, however, was laid under the tutelage of Chu Jiquan, a senior National Class-A Artisan and China Ceramic Art Master, whom he followed closely for over a decade, learning traditional techniques through both instruction and daily practice.
Zhou specializes in handcrafted flower-themed teapots (flowerware), which are celebrated for their lifelike, spirited forms that blend rustic elegance with subtle innovation. His works capture the vitality of nature while maintaining a refined simplicity, achieving a harmony between shape and expression.
His professional journey began in 1991, during his third year at a technical secondary school, when he joined the Art Training Center of the Yixing Purple-Sand Craft Factory as an intern. There, he came under the guidance of Chu Jiquan, a mentorship that would continue to shape his career through years of collaborative work and artistic evolution.
Every time we visit Master Zhou at the Bohanxuan Studio inside the Yixing Purple-Sand Craft Factory (zisha factory No.1), we are deeply impressed by his standard of Novel teapot shape.
Artist Zhou Zhongjun’s government-certified professional title certificate
References：
