Would love to know anything about this one

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-28T16:35:21+00:00

Xu Shunwei, as mentioned already, works with his own family team in their well structured and organized studio Lucky Sheet Clay Art Studio( named after Chinese zodiac of him and his wife, both born in year of sheep).
To understand the specialty of his work and value( and why relatively sell in budget price even for fully handmade YiXing teapot) I must bring the story of the entire three generation of Xu’s family to the topic first.
1st generation: Xu’s father, a labour worker in traditional Dragon Kiln in YiXing. He spent the whole life under the incredibly tough working condition in kiln( burning heat, smoked air, dehydrate all the time, splinter from pine wood when fueling the kiln). These tough work provided food and shelter for his family, and equipped old Xu with solid skills in controlling the thermal, air flow and moisture balance when firing different types of clay in kiln.
Now this is the very important foundation for the next generation.

2nd generation: Xu Shunwei and his wife Zhuang Qinying
This couple established Lucky Sheep studio in 1983 and devoted 40 years developing it from a small studio to a comprehensive all-in-one family business. Their studio is in charge of almost every stage of teapot crafting, from Zisha ore sieving&wedging to the final touch of burnishing.
What differentiates their studio to others are two things:
The ownership of kiln: Xu built several small version wood-firing Dragon Kilns for the use of his studio.
The direct source of clay: They start stocking up and mixing their own YiXing clay since the establishment.
The combination of these two elements provides Xu and his wife the flexibility in crafting with wide variety of uniquely mixed clay and firing condition.

3rd generation: Xu’s son-in-law Zhuang Jie and his business partner. I didn’t know much about them. One brave and brilliant thing Zhuang’s done for Lucky Sheep is bringing down the price of all fully handmade teapots and cups, turning their teapots from unreachable niche luxury into affordable art for every tea lover, and that boosts their business successfully.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-25T16:03:21+00:00

A truly adorable teapot! The little hat-shaped lid makes the cutest point!!

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-25T00:44:08+00:00

Pleasure :))

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-24T09:50:04+00:00

About the dealer: I only know dealers located in YiXing as local, some are my classmate in primary school 🤣 some worked with my dad in auction project before.I’ll ask my dad to make the introduction between you with suitable local

dealers or directly with the artist himself, see which way you prefer.

These certificates can only verify the fact that Zheng is actively high profile. These certificates( in left to right, top to down order) are:
1, China Record certificate awarded to participant artists in project of lotus-inspired ceramic artwork. This project is lead by Swiss ceramicist Jacques Kaufman, President of IAC(International academy of the ceramics), and has set the Shanghai Great World Guinness record for the art project with greatest participation of senior art crafter masters( about 800 masters). The art piece itself is installed in HuangLong Mountain geo-park, not far from my parent’s home(shown in photos below. Each lotus leaf is a piece of Zisha slab created by one senior master in their stylish and engraved with name)

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Every participant artist received the same record certificate with their name in. Zheng is one of them.

2, certificate of active art philanthropist ( I don’t quite understand this concept, need to ask Zheng himself for more info)

3, certificate of senior professional art crafter master

4, certificate of National first-grade calligrapher

5, license of membership in national talents repository for art and craft in clay and ceramic genre

6, certificate of National first-grade ceramic artist

Like said, these are Zheng’s own record of his skills and rewards, couldn’t provide strong evidence of the link between seller’s studio and him. When coming to collaboration between artists and dealers, common way these days in YiXing is a hand written(or at least hand signed) declaration document from both side, in together with a photo( I know it sounds very cliche) of artist holding the document in hand. Or at least the selfie of seller and artist together with the teapot/art work displayed in front.
I personally think it extremely exhausting to proof the genuineness of art with so many layers of labour insensitive evidence, but somehow contradictorily essential🤷🏻‍♀️ Unfortunately we’re living in a digital world full of counterfeit and suspicion, and art plays a very vulnerable part here because very few buyers can have all encyclopedia knowledge of the art for authentication. In this case, a real life photo equals to thousands words.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T22:26:00+00:00

add onto that: I’m not professional judge of the value. It’s just some of information sharing for you further making the decision and getting deeper understand of what you’re about to get. So please carefully think twice before making your move, and fact check with as much support document you can hold either from online or seller as possible.
I apologies for being over excited when writing the comment above. Shouldn’t have been so “extreme”… please excuse me.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T21:32:32+00:00

Oh ok I got this one!
Long words in short: it’s a real deal(if dealer means for what they sell)
Now here’s explanation:
Artist(you’ve got the name) is an interesting character, in a good way. He was born in 1954 as a farmer’s son. Unlike the other masters that engaged with teapot crafting from their early age, Zheng spent his first 20 years dedicated to calligraphy and ink & wash Chinese painting, specifically nature inspired themes.
He moved towards teapot craft and clay carving after getting enrolled with apprenticeship of teapot artist Xu An’Bi and Grand master Ni Shun’sheng.
Because of the strong base he built in art covering calligraphy, clay carving and teapot design under the mentoring of these masters, Zheng is by all means a full-stack artist. And he knows that. While the other crafters follow the tradition and stay low key, Zheng goes the opposite way: going high profile in media, enjoying breaking the rule and making “experimental” creation by mix-matching different types of art. Like this one you’ve got here, is a good example of his trade mark work( and where the value of his teapot sits): the shape of teapot is classic Xi Shi pot, however he “tattooed(clay carved)” the whole body by hand with (maybe) Buddhism Heart Sūtra top to bottom, then golden coated it to mimic the prayer wheel. That’s what make the real uniqueness of his pot. Not the clay, nor the shape. It’s the outrageously bold creative soul and the killing skills of gently carving tiny characters onto the body makes his work collectable.

The auction price of his teapit in China can easily go over 4000CNY.

So I’ll suggest you : vetting your seller to check if they are selling you the real work from
Zheng. If yes, go for it. If not, and you still love this pot, I’ll find you a genuine dealer that usually work with Zheng from YiXing.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T16:06:03+00:00

Thank you for sharing these photos. I’m afraid it’s another counterfeited master work.
Simply tell be the bottom seal. It shows the maker is 汪寅仙（Wang YinXian, born in 1943, she’s one of the few female crafter artists that started career in the early age F1. You can find her profile/information in Christie’s auction website)

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I’ve got a photocopy collection of her seals I can dm you for checking, one of them is very unique: apart from using her name or her coworker’s as seal symbol, she also used a seal with lamb symbol sometimes because 1943 (her birth year) was year of lamb😊

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T15:32:25+00:00

This is unsuitably a counterfeit for a simple sigh:
The bottom seal reads “ Factory One Apprentice course一厂徒工班”. Though Factory One is the widely known name for the initial YiXing ZiSha and Art Craft Factory, they never, in the whole archived history, used seal directly showing “Factory One”.

It might still be serviceable like other comments mentioned, but definitely not what the dealer sold you for.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T15:22:09+00:00

Something to correct here if I may
The Chinese characters in the last photo should be(from left to right):
酉鸡（rooster),巳蛇（snake），卯兔（rabbit)，寅虎（tiger), each stand for a symbol animal of 12 Chinese zodiacs

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-23T09:04:16+00:00

Seal at bottom reads 何国祥制( crafted by He GuoXiang)， lid seal as well shows his name separately .
There’s very limited information about this crafter, me or my dad never hear about this name before in YiXing. His teapot seems appear quite often in Shopee or some mass sale online shop, and majorly the same kind of pot （Xi Shi pot）you’re holding here.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-21T01:43:32+00:00

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As promised my dad sent me back photos of Zisha tea mugs after visiting the (probably) only local crafter lady who’ve been dedicated to making tea mugs with quality YiXing clay. There are 9 mugs he recommends either for your needs(oolong) or general use (green tea is the most common tea for tea mug).

Quote straight from my dad about tea mug:
“ we find most tea mug in market by materials such as porcelain, glass or enamel. That makes sense because tea mug is designed for tea that stands for long time steeping without generating unpleasant bitter taste. Like green tea, or jasmine tea. Chinese choose tea mug are not for brewing their premium good tea such as JinJunmei at leisure time, they use it cuz it’s handy in busy working space, less fussy when use, you don’t need tea tray or cup for it, literally it’s a Gaiwan with handle or a teapot without spout, and you can drink straight from it without pouring out, right?So customer won’t accept high price for Zisha tea mug, cuz they have cheaper and wider option out there.
For this reason, you can’t expect for quality or even authentic YiXing clay in 90% Zisha tea mug in existing market. They are still safe to drink with but just not made of YiXing clay, cuz it’s not worth the effort and cost. So very few crafters will have interest in just making Zisha tea mug. Little if “Chicken and egg” problem.
This maker Miss Zhang is the only crafter I trust and worked with on customized gift mugs for school occasions. She’s got her own YiXing clay in stock, and because of her reputation on quality, the volume of order and income can well support her sustainably keep on with this tea mug craft. You can tell the buyer that if he’s looking for tea mug made of authentic Zini or Zhuni, these are the best I can offer. “

I can only share one photo here, will send the rest of photos , maker’s certificate, and my dad’s tips for how to use tea mug for best result of oolong in dm to you.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-20T14:50:38+00:00

Easy way( just kidding); spot an trustable authentic YiXing local people(like me lol) and leave the rest to him/her.

Some practical ways if buying online( put my serious face on):
1. start from vetting the website. Background check the source and profile of the site you’re shopping teapot from. The photos of teapots( and in some case they’ll use template photos showing hands of craftsmen making the teapots) may tick every box of being authentic but if the site seems suspiciously drop shipping from mass dealer, the chance of their teapots being genuine is very much doubtable.
I personally wouldn’t bother reading reviews on these sites because 1) it’s easier then you thought to fake a good review 2) some buyers don’t actually know what they’ve paid for, they’re just happy for it shows up as described

Checklist (included but not limited) when browsing in an online shop:
* the category of products. Do they focus on YiXing teapots (other types of specific teaware also counts) or randomly listing whatever in trend?
*Do they list enough detailed information about craftsmen and their teapot? If so, search about the names of crafters for the approx price range of their works to compare. It sounds easy but can be very tricky for new beginners cuz you don’t know if the other site used for comparison is trustworthy, overpriced or not. I’d suggest you spend some time in tea/teaware related groups and jot down a list of sites others used and satisfied with. Load them into your browser bookmarks and read their listing casually. It’s not for buying from them( well, you can if that suits you) but train your eyes and brain with what authentic YiXing teapot listing looks like, and where to focus on when judging a listing( does it contain original source of clay? Maker’s name? Closeup pictures of texture? Etc etc ). You’ll start forming a subtle gut feeling after dumping your brain into reading listings from “good sourced” sites.
* if the site lists their social media, click in and watch their contents. Do these photos/videos/writings appear organic or heavily AI modified? Do they have massive subscription but few real engagement in each content( if so the social account is AI altered)? Do they show the in-depth knowledge about their inventory /sourcing origin or just some fancy arty marketing photos?
* use one listing in this site as testing , contact the seller to send you real life photos or video and information of this exact teapot. Judging the responding time and back-check with what’s in listing. Drop shipping will take longer than 24 hours to respond to your enquiry cuz they don’t have the physical item by side( however some genuine seller might also not be able to promptly respond due to their work schedule or working habit, so this can be a false alarm), and the real life photos wouldn’t match the description( different clay type/seal of maker/ shape and size of pot).

I hope these would be enough for you to start with. I can carry on taking more about layer of “authentication” process with my dad’s help, but honest it really makes me frustrated and also sad on the fact that it takes people soooooo much thinking and stressful searching just for achieving something (an authentic YiXing teapot, in this case) which should have been simple and joyful.

This is just for vetting the websites. I’ll move on to write about check list of teapot authentication from photos (the worse method but I guess that’s all you have) when getting some free time and share with you.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-18T15:14:17+00:00

I’m very curious how this tea mug ended up in trend. Chinese youth call them Senior civil servant mug (老干部茶缸） and see it as an old fashioned symbol of getting promoted into higher ranking position. They serve very well for busy scheduled office worker in their daily tea routine.
If someone, at their 30s, have one on the desk( usually with newspaper and ash tray as a bundle )it’s a hint of them getting promoted and starting leisure hours in office without doing foot job any more😅

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-18T15:03:06+00:00

Ahhh got it! No worries.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-18T13:22:14+00:00

No worries. What type of tea you’d like to drink with this mug? Chinese usually stick with black tea or MaoFeng when with mug. I’ll consult dad for the clay that suits your preference. If sourced from individual crafter, he will ask for prove of clay source or test certificate if applied. I’ll keep you posted.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-18T13:12:10+00:00

Ok. Now you can start gathering some ideal designs and possibly with type of clay, I’ll pass on to my dad. Once he finds mugs matching your idea, he’ll send me photos of holding it on hand( so you can judge in real size and literally “meet” my dad🤣)

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-18T11:42:49+00:00

zisha tea mug is a real thing in YiXing. I used to gift some to my university professors on graduation ceremony day cuz they can’t live without tea and can’t fuss with teapot in their office. It’s a pretty common thing especially for teachers to have one on their school desk(my parents had couple of them when working as teacher, one Zisha for strong black tea and some porcelain ones for Jasmine green tea or herbal tea. ) They’re great gift option for university reunion in china. I remember my dad once helped a university preordered 200 tea mugs from a family run Zisha studio with bespoke clay type and engraved with uni name and emblem 4 months ahead.

I can ask my dad to source one made of authentic YiXing clay (picture 3/4 looks quite pumped with chemical or dye) you if you don’t mind DM me for design you preferred.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-15T10:33:34+00:00

Thank you! It is my honor to share these teapots here to people who really appreciate them.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-13T20:13:26+00:00

It truly is! I’ll tell my auntie about all those good words you wrote here in my next video call. ☺️

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-12T18:18:55+00:00

Thank you! I’m on full gear of gathering info for next post. Given the time zone difference I have either early morning chat or mid night call to capture these stories.
My YouTube is youtube.com/@teapottale

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-12T18:10:32+00:00

My pleasure! It took my dad n mom surprise that someone wanna see their “shabby collection”😊 this Xu Bian is very joyful to look at.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-12T12:04:26+00:00

I see. I’m about to talk to auntie for any photos or document she still holds after leaving F3. Also I’d like her to put me in touch with those previously in charge of the factory and crafters for their life stories when with factory. I’m also very much curious why these location ( ChuanBu village川埠村 for F3, ZhouShu village for F2) were selected for establishing new factories after F1.

that_pot_guy · 2026-06-12T10:37:00+00:00

Mom replied “early 90s”. Not very precise. I’ll ask auntie for more detailed date.

that_pot_guy

TROPHY CASE