It’s too cheap, really too cheap.
Although Yang Jing knew that in the early 1980s, almost all kinds of old items were very cheap, but he was still a little surprised to see a purple clay teapot costing 150 yuan.
This is the work of Master Zhu Kexin. Although his works are not as valuable as those of Master Gu Jingzhou in later generations, any one of them is a top-quality purple clay teapot worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
Master Zhu Kexin is eleven years older than Master Gu Jingzhou. He entered school at the age of seven and became a disciple of purple clay teapot master Mr. Wang Yisheng at the age of fourteen. He apprenticed for seven years and started working independently at the age of twenty. He immediately demonstrated his unique talent in the purple clay teapot making craft.
At the age of 21, Master Zhu Kexin married Shundi, a woman from Zhoumu Village, Bodong Township. She was the amiable old lady he had just met outside. However, Yang Jing knew that although the old lady was in good health now, she would pass away next year, in 1983.
In 1932, when Master Zhu was 28 years old, his work "Cloud Dragon Tripod", 2.5 feet high, was exhibited at the Chicago Exposition in the United States, and won the "Special Award", and was promoted to technician. The work "Bamboo Tripod" designed in the same year was exhibited in Penglai Market (now Yuyuan Shopping Center) in Shanghai, and was ordered by Soong Ching Ling. It is now preserved in Soong Ching Ling's former residence in Shanghai.
Later, the Anti-Japanese War broke out, and the purple clay teapot industry plummeted. Master Zhu's school was also forced to suspend classes, so Master Zhu could only go home to make clay pots to make a living. During that difficult period, Master Zhu mainly made fish-turning-into-dragon teapots. Just now, he also mentioned to Yang Jing the hard life during that period.
During that difficult period, Master Zhu also designed new patterns for the purple clay teapot master Jisada. He simplified the shape of the "Three Friends Pot with a Bunch of Firewood" by Chen Mingyuan as passed down by his predecessors and designed it into the pine, bamboo and plum "Three Friends Pot" we see today. It is beautiful to use and appreciated by both the elite and the masses, and has become a fine design among purple clay teapots.
In 1945, after the victory of the eight-year war of resistance against Japan, the school was reopened and renamed Jiangsu Provincial Ceramics Vocational School. Master Zhu was hired as a craft teacher until the school was closed in 1950. During this period, he designed the "Yunlong Pot" and won a high reputation. The Yunlong Pot that Yang Jing saw just now was designed and made by Master Zhu in that era.
After the liberation, Master Zhu designed and made the "Round Pine, Bamboo and Plum Pot", which is the "Round Three Friends Pot" that is talked about by purple clay lovers in later generations. The "Round Pine, Bamboo and Plum Pot" he made is even collected by the Jinling Museum. In 1958, Master Zhu's work "Squirrel and Grape Pot" participated in the first National Arts and Crafts Exhibition held on the Meridian Gate Tower of the Forbidden City in Yanjing. After the exhibition, the pot was collected by Professor Gao Zhuang of CAFA.
During the period from the liberation to the modern times, Master Zhu not only began to teach his apprentices meticulously, but also created many exquisite designs. For example, he once guided his apprentice Mr. Xu Chengquan to design the "Laughing Infant Pot" and "Yunyu Pot", which became popular long-term production varieties; in 1963, he designed the "Wanshou Pot", "Gaofeng Coffee Set", "Yingbin Wine Set", "Golden Bell Pot", "Trophy Pot" and other classic purple clay pot shapes; in 1964, the "Jade Belt Pot" designed by Master Zhu was put into production, and it was an imitation of Chen Mingyuan's "Baofu Pot" that was so authentic.
Later, Master Zhu designed the "Plum Bowl Pot", "Lotus Bowl Pot", "Bamboo Bowl Pot", "Half Pour Pot", "Ke Xin Pear Shape Pot", "Different Color Persimmon Pot", "Red Leaf Flat Bamboo Ancient Pot", and "Colorful Butterfly Pot". He also designed high-end products such as the "Spring Herald Pot", "Evergreen Pot", "Spring Color Pot", "Jinsong Pot", "Green Bamboo Pot", and "Gao Ying Pot". He pioneered a new style of pot shape with multiple decorations, which was welcomed by people at home and abroad and regarded as a classic by purple clay lovers.
In 1982, that is, this year, the 78-year-old Master Zhu returned home to recuperate due to old age and frailty. From the time he became an apprentice to the time he returned home to recuperate, he devoted a full 62 years to making purple clay teapots, and he deserves to be called one of the "Seven Old Masters of Purple Clay" by later generations.
His works are absolutely the best among purple clay teapots. Some of his fine works in later generations have been auctioned and the prices have exceeded seven figures.
For example, at the auction of Chinese contemporary high-end handicrafts - purple clay teapots held in December 2012, a "bamboo drum teapot" made by Master Zhu himself was sold at a high price of 6.2875 million yuan; a three-friend teapot he made was sold at a high price of 4.25 million yuan at an auction in 2010...
The purple clay teapots made by Master Zhu himself were indeed not as expensive as those made by Master Gu Jingzhou and Master Chen Mingyuan at auction in later generations, but his works are definitely rare and top-quality purple clay teapots.
And these purple clay teapots, which were worth millions in later generations, are now only 150 yuan each...
Seeing Yang Jing in a daze, the old man thought that the price was too high, so he said a little embarrassedly: "Xiao Yang, if you think it's too expensive, I can lower the price for you..."
This woke Yang Jing up from his daze. He waved his hands and said, "Master Zhu, you misunderstood. I don't think the price is too high. On the contrary, I think it's too cheap. You may not know that a purple clay teapot made by a master like you can be sold for at least one thousand pounds in the UK, so the price you gave is too low..."
The purple clay teapot made by Master Zhu himself would naturally not appear on the counter of a British store. Yang Jing's words were just an excuse.
Yang Jing, who traveled back from more than 30 years later, naturally knew that these true masters had not enjoyed any happiness in their lives. Whether it was Master Zhu Kexin in front of him or Master Gu Jingzhou, Master Ren Gan Ting, Master Wu Yungen, and other masters who were born in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, they learned their skills during the era of warlord separatism and social unrest. When they were in their prime, they encountered a series of wars. Although they also caught up with the new China, everyone knew what the country was like when the country was just founded.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
