Mao Wenjie
Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Master (Third Selection, 2023)
Senior Master of Arts and Crafts (Full Professor Level)
Member, Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Association
Member, Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Artists Association
Born in 1968 in Yixing, China’s celebrated “Capital of Ceramics,” Mao Wenjie grew up in a family deeply rooted in pottery. In 1983, he entered the Jiangsu Yixing Zisha (purple clay) Craft Factory and began studying under his father, Mao Guoqiang — a Chinese Ceramic Art Master and Jiangsu Provincial Arts and Crafts Master — concentrating on pottery carving and decoration.
In 1988, Mao attended a national ceramic training program at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University), where he received systematic training in ceramic theory that greatly broadened and deepened his artistic foundation. Later, he became a disciple of the late master Gu Jingzhou, a Chinese Arts and Crafts Master revered as a titan of teapot art. Under Gu’s guidance, Mao’s creative and technical abilities became increasingly refined and comprehensive.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Mao Wenjie has produced over a hundred new works. His pieces stay true to tradition while boldly pushing boundaries, striking a balance between inner meaning and outward beauty, and expressing a distinct individuality with unmistakable character. Whether sculpted forms or naturalistic “flower” wares, his teapots are distinguished by crisp, confident lines and immaculately tight-fitting lids with precise seams — hallmarks of unique craftsmanship and cultivated cultural taste.
Notable works by Mao Wenjie include the Zisha teapots Ju Zhong (Giant Bell), Sangbian, and Seng Mao (Monk’s Hat).
