Gu Qin
Titles and Honors
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Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Art Master
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Senior Master of Arts and Crafts (Professor-level)
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Senior Master of Rural Revitalization Craftsmanship (Professor-level)
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Jiangsu Provincial March 8th Red-Banner Holder
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Jiangsu Provincial Female Meritorious Pace-setter
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Winner of the Wuxi “May 1st” Labor Medal
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Representative Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Wuxi
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Part-time Teacher, Ceramic School, Wuxi Institute of Arts and Technology
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Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts
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Visiting Professor, Academy of Fine Arts, Honghe University
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Visiting Professor, School of Art, Tianjin University of Commerce
Biography
Born in 1970 into a family of ceramic artists, Gu Qin entered the Yixing Zisha Craft Factory in Jiangsu Province in 1986 to learn the craft, where she was first guided by teacher Tan Yuewei 谈跃伟 . Her father, Mr. Gu Shaopei 顾绍培 , is a renowned Chinese Master of Arts and Crafts; the profound zisha artistry of the older generation exerted a subtle yet deep influence on her. She later became a disciple of the celebrated pot master Wang Shigeng 王石耕 , thoroughly absorbing the essence of the Wang style. Thanks to both opportunity and innate talent, Gu Qin has drawn on the strengths of many masters, gained a keen insight into the soul of zisha, and integrated multiple exceptional skills into her own work. She is the direct-line heir of Master Gu Shaopei. In 1992, she studied at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, and in 1995, she pursued professional training in form and decorative design under Professor Wu Shan at the Nanjing University of the Arts. In 2024, she was awarded the “Ceramic Art Master Inheritance and Innovation Studio”.
Her works are rigorous and well-proportioned, concise yet exquisite, dignified and unadorned, and brimming with charm, placing equal emphasis on tradition and innovation. Her original Yixing zisha creations defy uniformity — squares are never formulaic, and rounds are never identical. She has developed a unique style of her own, marked by the presence and manner of a master, and stands as a backbone force in inheriting and promoting the art of Chinese zisha.
Selected Awards
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2002 – Shi Ling Xiu Chun (Stone Spirit and Elegant Spring): Gold Award, 2002 China East China Fine Arts and Crafts Masterpiece Award
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2005 – Han Bi Pot (Han Jade Disc Pot): Gold Award, “Taihu Cup” of the 3rd China Wuxi Taihu Expo China Zisha Art Exhibition
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2011 – Han Bi: Gold Award, “Zhongyi Cup” of the Yixing Five Golden Flowers Ceramic Art Beijing Exhibition
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2011 – Bao’er (Treasure Child): Gold Award, Korea Exhibition of the Yixing Zisha Craft Factory
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2014 – Hua Yu Qing (Flower Rain Sentiment): Gold Award, 2nd China Ceramic Masters and Masterpieces Exhibition
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2015 – Life Theme Series: Gold Award, 3rd China Ceramic Masters and Masterpieces Exhibition
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2016 – Xian Yuan San Zu (Round Lines Three-legged): Gold Award, 2016 Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Fine Works Award, “Ziwei Flower Art Expo Cup”
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2018 – Xiang Zhen Pot (Auspicious and Propitious Pot): Gold Award, 6th China Ceramic Masters and Masterpieces Exhibition
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2020 – Tranquil and Serene Tea Set: First Prize in Design Innovation, 3rd Jiangsu Ceramic Art Evaluation
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2020 – Beautiful Shadow Tea Set: Gold Award, 9th “Earth Award” China Ceramic Innovation and Design Competition
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2021 – Four Virtues Series (4 pieces): Gold Medal, “Design+” Arts and Crafts Innovation Design Competition, 2021 National Arts and Crafts and Innovation Design Expo
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2022 – Tranquil and Serene Tea Set: Gold Award, 2021 “Baihua Cup” Evaluation
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2022 – “Colorful Jade Belt” Hexagonal Ancient Well Tea Set: “Baihe Award”, 2nd “Baihe Cup” Arts and Crafts Design Innovation Competition
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2022 – Good Luck Pot: Gold Award, 13th “Yibo Cup” Arts and Crafts Fine Works Grand Prix
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2023 – All Living Things Tea Set: Baihe Golden Tripod Award, 3rd “Baihe Cup” Arts and Crafts Design Innovation Competition
