My collection of Prof Pan Chunfang's teapots and cups:
Prof Pan Chunfang
Prof Pan, a senior craftsmaster, is one of the few remaining second generation masters after the legendary seven old guards of Yixing which included big names such as Gu Jingzhou, Chu Kexin and Jiang Rong.
He visited Singapore in the 90s and held teapot exhibitions together with his wife, Xu Chenquan, also a senior craftsmaster.
He was transferred to the Nanjing Academy of fine arts where he trained a lot of potters in creative art and design. He had written books and published many articles on Yixing ware. His early book on teapot designs become a source of inspiration to many potters. They all regard him as an invaluable teacher and trainer in the Yixing art.
In the 70s, a set of 7 thumb rings used by Emperor Qianlong (乾隆扳指) was put up for auction in Hong Kong by Christie. This created a stir in the collectors' circle as these thumb rings were scattered all over the world. These thumb rings were made of the finest jade and kept in a exquisitely carved lacquer box. It was amazing that someone was able to find them and put these thumb rings on auction. Eventually an Asian collector paid over 47 millions HK dollars for the rings.m
Thumb rings used by Qianlong
A thumb ring is a piece of equipment designed to protect the thumb during archery. This is a ring of leather, stone, horn, wood, ivory, metal, ceramics, plastic, or glass which fits over the end of the thumb, coming to rest at the outer edge of the outer joint. Typically a flat area extends from the ring to protect the pad of the thumb from the bowstring; this may be supplemented by a leather extension.
Thumb rings were essential things worn by soldiers during war time. Soldiers, generals and emperors alike were proud to put on the rings to remind their enemies that they were ready for combat. Princes while on hunting spree, wore thumb rings to show off their archery skills to impress the emperors.
In peaceful time, the thumb rings had lost their purpose. As a result, people put on these rings just to show others their wealth. As can be seen in the picture below, the man partially hid the shinny green jade on his thumb to show off his wealth. Likewise, Emperor Qianlong ordered the Imperial workshop to make some fine thumb rings for him to enjoy and play with. That was why he had these 7 exquisite rings in his possession.
Thumb ring for creation purpose
A modern thumb ring made of rubber
Although I don't practise archery, I do have a thumb ring made of white jade in my collection. I bought it from an antique shop in the 80s as I like jade pieces that are fun to play with.
In China, there are vivid collectors who collect thumb rings of various designs and materials. The expensive ones are generally made from fine jadeite (intense green version), others made from white jade (of mutton fat quality) are equally collectors' favourite.
One day I happened to bump into a link that shows the world of pipe collection. The pipe designs are really creative and the pipes are also exquisitely made with a hefty price tag on them. I remembered I also have a pipe which I bought in the states when I was there in the mid 70s (some sort of students exchange program). I bought the pipe as I liked the carving of a red Indian chief on the bowl. I used it to smoke tobacco for a few months before I gave it up (didn't quite enjoy pipe smoking).
My very own pipe
Tobacco pipe or smoking pipe, often called simply pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece (the bit). Pipes can range from very simple machine-made briar models to highly prized hand-made artisanal implements made by renowned pipe makers, which are often very expensive collector's items. Pipe smoking is the oldest known traditional form of tobacco smoking.
The bowls of tobacco pipes are commonly made of briar wood, meerschaum, corncob or clay. Less common are other dense-grained woods such as cherry, olive, maple, mesquite, oak, and bog-wood. Pipe bowls are sometimes decorated by carving.
The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it for a proper draw, although filter pipes have varying diameters and can be successfully smoked even without filters or adapters. Because it is moulded rather than carved, clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl, but most other materials have stems made separately and detachable. Stems and bits of tobacco pipes are usually made of mouldable materials like vulcanite, Lucite, Bakelite, and soft plastic. Less common are stems made of reeds, bamboo, or hollowed out pieces of wood. Expensive pipes once had stems made of amber, though this is rare now.
Sherlock Holmes smoking a pipe
I am sure you are familiar with this picture of the renown detective Sherlock Holmes of the old Scotland Yard, he was often seen with a pipe in his hand while scrutinising the minute details at the crime scene.
Cross-section of a pipe
There are a few vivid collectors of pipes in China. However, most of the master pieces come from Europe, especially from Denmark where the masters reside. The Chinese collectors pay tens of thousand of dollars for the creative pipes made by the European masters.
This one even has the master's name engraved on the stem of the pipe. Just like teapots, there are masters who specialize in the pipe making business.
Pipe collecting is exclusively men's hobby. Whether they smoke or not, they like pipes for their unique designs and treat pipes as their play toys. Mature western men like to be seen holding a pipe since this is their culture, pipe smoking.
Discus, is a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon River basin. Due to their distinctive shape and bright colors, discus are popular as freshwater aquarium fish, and their aquaculture in several countries in Asia is a major industry.They are sometimes referred to as pompadour fish
I have here an agate with the features that resemble a discus fish with the characteristic stripes and bright colour.
Agateis characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.
Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas, in former cavities produced by volatiles in the original molten mass, which were then filled, wholly or partially, by siliceous matter deposited in regular layers upon the walls. Agate has also been known to fill veins or cracks in volcanic or altered rock underlain by granitic intrusive masses. Such agates, when cut transversely, exhibit a succession of parallel lines, often of extreme tenuity, giving a banded appearance to the section. Such stones are known as banded agate, riband agate and striped agate.
An agate which depicts a chick breaking out of the shell was auctioned for a record 130 millions rmb in china. That was incredible.
There is a type of wood called the Golden thread wood (金絲楠木) which gives a golden colour when light shines on it. It was mainly found in Yunnan and Szechuan province of China.
The trees were generally more than 500 years old, some were buried under ground or in river beds for hundreds of years due to geological changes on the earth during ancient time. When the tree trunks were unearthed, the wood appeared to be in excellent condition due to its hardy nature. This wood is made into furniture that is high sought after by collectors due to its scarcity.
A log being unearthed
A box made of this wood
There is a collector in China who owns quite a lot of furniture and other artefacts made of this golden wood. He even has a large building to house his collection of furniture.
A chess board made of the golden wood
This exquisite furniture items are really attractive art pieces. The golden colour of this wood is unique and traces of gold thread appears when a torch light shines on the wood. It is a dream for an average person to own this type of luxury in life. I wonder if the owner really put them to good use or they are just put there for people to admire.
A table being transported for exhibition
A brush holder of similar material in my collection, it is not made of the type that was buried under ground.
I have recently spotted a wood carving made of a type of yellow rosewood known as the Huang Huali. I have written story about this wood in my other blog. This wood is known for its characteristic wood pattern, a unique scent and smoothness. It is a valuable wood due to its scarcity.
The carved figure is that of a little monk. With its big belly, it is able to contain whatever injustice there is in the world, so they said of monks with a big heart.
Huang Huali is actually a wood commonly used to make furniture in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming emperors started using Huang Huali furniture some 600 years ago. With the relentless felling of the trees, Huang Huali wood was almost exhausted during the Qing dynasty. Fortunately, the Qing emperors preferred the other type of wood called Zitan (from India) more than the Huang Huali. There are still some old Huang Huali furniture form the Ming dynasty on display in museums all over the world.
As the price of Ming and Qing antique furniture escalated over a few hundred times in the last decades, people begin to take note of this wood. It was long considered that this wood, Huang Huali, has already depleted due to massive tree cutting during the Ming and Qing dynasties by the Imperial court for building palaces and furniture.
In the 90s, it was reported that the trees that produced the wood were sighted in Hainan, a small island in the south of the mainland. Ever since the report was published, people began to hunt for this wood there causing a flood of dealings in the wood. Many villagers became rich overnight and businessmen reaped even greater profits form these dealings. Eventually the price of this wood reaches 20000 RMB per kg.
The story on Huang Huali
Huang Huali wood is a highly sought after wood due to its characteristic wood pattern and attractive appearance. The texture is smooth, dense and very stable. A light fragrance will emit from the wood.
A branch of Huang Huali being cut
Good wood seen after the cut
Good quality Huang Huali appears in the centre and is surrounded by a layer of white wood. Just imagine, large pieces of wood is required to make furniture. The trees have to be at least 400 years old before the trunks reach the size required for large furniture like beds and table. Hence Huang Huali furniture is very costly.
Huang Huali chests
Furniture made from Huang Huali
Scientific name of Huang Huali
Huang Huali pot auctioned for 16000 RMB
A brush container made of Huang Huali, 180000 RMB
Beams and columns sold for millions
There was even one businessman who went to Hainan in the early 90s to amass 400 kg of Huang Huali products (mainly farming equipment) from villagers. He even went to the extreme to remove the beams were made from Huang Huali from villagers' houses, of course he paid the owners handsomely. In this way, he was able to collect a large quantity of raw material for his furniture shop in Beijing. The most expensive price he ever paid for this wood was when he paid 1.38 million RMB for 6 beams removed from a villager's house. You may think he was mad to have paid so much for this wood. But he used these beams and columns and turned them into exquisite fine antique furniture in his factory. He ever sold a set of newly made Huang Huali furniture for more than ten millions RMB during an exhibition. Today the businessman becomes only a very wealthy man, he is also a celebrity among wood experts in China and often appears in TV programs. In a video upload he was showing his clients a beautiful Huang Huali Ming-style chair that had a price tag of 5 millions RMB.
I am glad to own at least a small carving of Huang Huali. Although the Hainan state has began a tree planting program, it will take at least another 100 years to have the trees to grow to a reasonable size for wood carvings and another 500 years to make into useful furniture. I can't that long.
This is a black xishi pot made in the 70 to 80s era. I can't help but fall in love with this type of xishi pots. My favourite pot for brewing kungfu tea.
Recently I spotted some ceramic cups in the tea section of a departmental store. The cups are elegantly designed and made. I liked the cups so much that I bought 2 to go with my tea drinking sessions. Nowadays this type of ceramic wares are not cheap. A full set with pot, eight cups and other accessories may cost up to a thousand dollars. Why do they cost so much? The shop attendant told me that they are branded goods and every piece was hand-made and the highest quality was ensured and guaranteed by the pottery shop. I checked the cups and they were in perfect condition, no sign of any defect. Even the glaze was evenly applied. I guessed the pottery shop must have discarded the defective pieces and only the best ones were exported. I like the design of the cups, they are just nice to go with my xishi pots for tea drinking.
Ceramic cups bearing the shop's name at the base
I have another cup which I bought earlier from a tea-shop for a good price. It is of a similar pattern but is made of porcelain. These days I find that tea drinkers not only enjoy a nice cup of Chinese tea, they also like to drink the tea using nice looking cups. Some even boast of their fine pieces during tea drinking sessions with their friends. No wonder I spotted some cups at the same tea-shop selling for 70 dollars each.
I once watched a video upload regarding a lady in Beijing who brought along her best cup to attend her friends tea drinking party. Unfortunately her best cup lost to all her friends' cups during that tea party. She felt that she was humiliated as she was quite well known in the tea circle of friends (she was a supplier of tea ware). The next day, she went to the famous Longquen kiln (famous for a type of Song dynasty ware, the glaze is almost the same as the photo shown above) in search of her ideal cup for the next round of tea party to challenge her friends' cups. She managed to find a famous potter and order one of the design created by the potter. Unfortunately the cup did not turn out well after the firing process (defects were seen after it was removed from the furnace). Eventually she met another potter and managed to persuade him to part with one of his best cups. She brought the cup back to Beijing and showed it to her friends during the next round of tea drinking session. This time her cup really impressed all her friends and she finally won back some respect form her peers. This shows that in tea drinking, not only the pot is important, the cup used for tea drinking can also attract attention, lest you want criticism from your peers for using sub-standard cups in important functions/occasions.
After watching that video upload, I realize that there are potters outside Yixing who make a name for themselves in the tea ware business, ie the cups they made can become collectors' items.
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