Yixing teapot artist Zhou Qiming 周奇鸣
Zhou Qiming, whose art name is Yuren 愚人, was born in 1963 by the Huaxi River in Dingshu Town, Yixing, Jiangsu. He holds the titles of Full Senior Arts and Crafts Master and Full Senior Rural Revitalization Craft Artist.
A Ceramic Family Heritage
Zhou comes from a family that has lived by and worked with pottery for generations. His ancestress Yang Fengnian was the first female master teapot maker in the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. His grandfather Zhou Hongyuan was the capitalist factory director of Tangdu Pottery Cooperative in Dingshu Town, the first public-private joint enterprise in Yixing County after the founding of New China, and also the head of “Xinyuantang Pottery.” His father, Zhou Pengjia, was a master of jar-making at the former Yixing Jianxin Ceramics Factory and was responsible for new product research and development. In the early 1990s, his father expanded into the design and production of zisha sculptures and zisha tea ware, and many of his works became classics of their time.
Several generations of the Zhou family have made outstanding contributions to the development of Yixing ceramics. As a descendant of a ceramic family whose family motto is “Shangde”, upholding virtue, Zhou Qiming was assigned in 1980 to the state-owned Hongwei Ceramics Factory, now Caitao Crafts Factory, where he engaged in the handmade production of pottery vats, basins, jars, teapots, and other wares. In 1982 and 1983, during the national “Quality Month” activities, he won runner-up and then champion honors in the vat-making challenge at the Yixing pottery competition area.
In 1987, with the cultivation of the organization, he joined the Communist Party of China. He later served as a workshop director and production technology section chief, mastering the entire ceramic production process from theory to practice.
Entering Zisha Teapot Design
In 1993, Zhou followed his father into the Sino-foreign joint venture of the Zisha Craft Factory, Changhai Handicraft Antique Pottery Co., Ltd., and specialized in the design and production of zisha teapots. In this cradle of masters, frequent guidance from established masters and his own diligent study helped his skills rise step by step.
On May 9, 2006, he had the honor of becoming an apprentice of Master Bao Zhiqiang. Under the teaching by word and example of his master and his elders, he further established the direction of his artistic style and formed a creative style that integrates the ancient and forges the modern. His works are characterized by attention to both inner meaning and visual beauty, by inheritance of tradition and a striving for innovation, and by an artistic effect that shows cleverness within simplicity, refinement within roughness, plain elegance, and a return to original simplicity. His works are abstract yet remain practical.
His works have won numerous major awards in national competitions, and in collecting circles he is praised as an outstanding figure of exceptional strength.
Selected Collections and Awards
2005: Niugai Hongyun Teapot was permanently collected by Wuxi Museum.
2006: Zhuan Teapot was permanently collected by Tianshui Museum in Gansu Province.
2006: Holy Land Teapot was permanently collected by Tianshui Museum in Gansu Province.
2006: Century-Old Tree Burl Teapot won Third Prize in the on-site skills competition held by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Personnel.
2007: Fuxi Teapot won the Gold Award at the First Oriental Art Capital Expo.
2007: Yonglu Teapot won the Bronze Award at the China-Korea International Ceramic Art Exchange Exhibition.
December 2007: He was appointed art consultant by the Tianshui Zisha Teapot Collectors Association in Gansu Province.
2008: He won the Gold Award in the selection of Art Masters and Elites Favored by Chinese Collectors.
2008: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Teapot also won the Gold Award in the selection of Art Masters and Elites Favored by Chinese Collectors.
2008: Lingering Rhyme of the Drum won the Gold Award at the First China International Arts and Crafts Expo.
May 16, 2009: Qiankun Wannian Teapot was permanently collected by the Korea Ceramic Culture Museum.
November 2009: Tang Style and Han Charm Teapot won the Gold Award at the 11th China National-Level Arts and Crafts Masters Masterpieces Expo.
2011: Imperial Seal Teapot Series won the Gold Award at the 13th China Arts and Crafts Masters Masterpieces Expo.
2012: Three Rams Bring Prosperity Teapot was permanently collected by Guangdong Museum.
2014: Four Seasons Bring Fortune Teapot was permanently collected by Hebei Museum.
2016: Ancient Beast Incense Burner won the Gold Award at the 6th “Dadi Award” Ceramic Works Competition.
2016: Rongde Teapot won the Gold Award at the 10th Hefei International Cultural Expo.
December 2019: Mingsheng Tianxiao Teapot was collected by Anhui Museum.
March 2020: Zen Stool Teapot was collected by Anhui Museum.
Artistic Identity
Zhou Qiming’s work reflects a deep continuity with Yixing’s ceramic tradition and a personal commitment to innovation. Rooted in a family of potters and trained through decades of hands-on practice, he combines traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary artistic sensibility. His teapots are at once expressive and functional, elegant and grounded, carrying forward the spirit of Yixing zisha while opening it to new creative possibilities.
