English-language Yixing books

[mbanu]

How long did these friendship stores remain open in Hong Kong?

For anyone else curious about these, a website devoted to the industrial history of Hong Kong did a biography on the founder of the Hong Kong subsidiary that ran these stores: Red Capitalist: the life and ventures of K.C. Wong (王寬誠,1907-1986)

In 1959, K.C. Wong teamed up with another prominent “Red Capitalist” – Cheng Tung-lam (鄭棟林), one of the five co-founders of China Union Trading (广大华行), to start Chinese Arts & Crafts (HK) Ltd (CAC) to sell and distribute high quality arts & crafts from China with Wong serving as chairman and Cheng as managing director. The Kowloon store was the first to open in April of that year on Cameron Road in Tsim Sha Tsui followed by the main store at the new Shell House (now Central Tower) in Central in September 1960 with Sir Tsun-Nin Chau as guest of honor and over 2000 guests. In 1966, the state-owned China Resources and Henry Fok became shareholders of CAC and in 1968, CAC became a wholly owned subsidiary of China Resources.

During the 1967 leftist riots, K.C. Wong maintained a high profile as the vice chairman of the “All Circle Struggle Committee”. Many left-wing organizations such as labor unions who were involved with the riots operated out of Wong’s properties in North Point and on August 4th, 1967, the colonial government dispatched helicopters to the roof of Wong’s Metropole Building and Ming Yuen Mansions to take down the suspected groups behind the riots.

For me, at least, this context helps explain why the British Army would have had someone like Peter Wain keeping tabs on what to modern eyes seemed to be just tourist stores.

[Bok]

Knowing why a teapot from a certain time looks a certain way aids in the understanding.

But these are the things that are rarely if ever mentioned in books and for good reasons... I’ve seen troubling signs of some Yixing makers studying these books and some antique originals.

[Youzi]

Knowing why a teapot from a certain time looks a certain way aids in the understanding.

But these are the things that are rarely if ever mentioned in books and for good reasons... I’ve seen troubling signs of some Yixing makers studying these books and some antique originals.

@mbanu

Exactly, basically none of the books mention the different building techniques used through history. Especially not any English publications, who know nothing about the subject.

All the pictures are from the outside, so you can only study shapes and forms, from this book. And for that the Chinese books are perfectly adequate and probably much better than most English publications that you can find.

[Balthazar]

the Chinese books

I'll try again: Any recommendations you have would be much appreciated.

... that goes for everyone, not just @Youzi

[Bok]

@Youzi second that, at least the Chinese ones mostly get the rough period and clay right and can distinguish Yixing from Shantou

As for processing in different periods, it’s really difficult to come by good information, the antique dealers and collectors who might(or might not) are notoriously cagey... need to spend big and some of them do open up and share some tid bits. I think a lot is also due to that Yixing ware has not had the same “glamour factor” about it that porcelain and other more colourful stuff enjoys, so less documentation exists. But I might be wrong, my interpretation.

[Bok]

@Balthazar Dr Lus book on early factory is a good start, at least there are no confirmed fakes in it

Wushing has been mentioned.

But I’m not sure where to get these in the West...

[Balthazar]

Balthazar Dr Lus book on early factory is a good start, at least there are no confirmed fakes in it

Wushing has been mentioned.

But I’m not sure where to get these in the West...

Thanks! Dr. Lus book is high on my to-get list.

Was hoping from something published on the mainland, i.e. available from Taobao or JD.

[Youzi]

the Chinese books

I'll try again: Any recommendations you have would be much appreciated.

... that goes for everyone, not just Youzi

Must Haves:
Gu Jingzhou's book - 宜兴紫砂珍赏
Zhu Zewei‘s "The Book" about yixing clay - 宜兴紫砂矿料

May worth checking these out too:
About Antique Zhuni pots, heard they are good, but haven't got the chance to check them:
朱泥壶的世界 -- Got recommended by a Master supposedly has nice shapes of Mengchen teapots
朱泥宝记
荆溪朱泥

[mbanu]

Exactly, basically none of the books mention the different building techniques used through history. Especially not any English publications, who know nothing about the subject.

As this thread has shown, it can be a tricky subject. For making pots rather than appreciating them, there is the Chinese Ceramic Art Council of the United States, whose president for many years ran the San Jose pottery supply store Chinese Clay Art and ran the pottery school "The Clayground". I don't think they ever made a book, although they did apparently make a DVD that sits down with the Yixing potter Gu Meiqun and goes through the process of making a teapot. (Has anyone seen it?)

[Youzi]

Exactly, basically none of the books mention the different building techniques used through history. Especially not any English publications, who know nothing about the subject.

As this thread has shown, it can be a tricky subject. For making pots rather than appreciating them, there is the Chinese Ceramic Art Council of the United States, whose president for many years ran the San Jose pottery supply store Chinese Clay Art and ran the pottery school "The Clayground". I don't think they ever made a book, although they did apparently make a DVD that sits down with the Yixing potter Gu Meiqun and goes through the process of making a teapot. (Has anyone seen it?)

There are many videos on YouTube where they make various shapes from start to finish. It's not the problem, that the information isn't available. the problem is that the people who curate the previously linked auction catalogs seem to know nothing about the subject, or their understanding is too shallow.

[Victoria]

the Chinese books

I'll try again: Any recommendations you have would be much appreciated.

... that goes for everyone, not just Youzi

Must Haves:
Gu Jingzhou's book - 宜兴紫砂珍赏
Zhu Zewei‘s "The Book" about yixing clay - 宜兴紫砂矿料

May worth checking these out too:
About Antique Zhuni pots, heard they are good, but haven't got the chance to check them:
朱泥壶的世界 -- Got recommended by a Master supposedly has nice shapes of Mengchen teapots
朱泥宝记
荆溪朱泥

Gingko_Seto has a copy on his eBay store https://www.ebay.com/itm/261866128576

[Balthazar]

Must Haves:
Gu Jingzhou's book - 宜兴紫砂珍赏
Zhu Zewei‘s "The Book" about yixing clay - 宜兴紫砂矿料

May worth checking these out too:
About Antique Zhuni pots, heard they are good, but haven't got the chance to check them:
朱泥壶的世界 -- Got recommended by a Master supposedly has nice shapes of Mengchen teapots
朱泥宝记
荆溪朱泥

Appreciated!

[mbanu]

the problem is that the people who curate the previously linked auction catalogs seem to know nothing about the subject, or their understanding is too shallow.

Why do they struggle to find knowledgeable people, I wonder? Museums don't usually pay very well, after all... Many of the people who would be happy to write a preface for a museum exhibition catalog rarely seem to get involved with auction catalogs. There was an online webinar last year that actually connected some of these folks with professional appraisers, but I think it was because it was run through a museum, the cost was low, and you could email to have the fee waived if you wanted to: https://www.norton.org/events/yixing-te ... 09-22-2020

Does being a Yixing appraiser have a bad reputation?

[Youzi]

I'll try again: Any recommendations you have would be much appreciated.

... that goes for everyone, not just Youzi

Must Haves:
Gu Jingzhou's book - 宜兴紫砂珍赏
Zhu Zewei‘s "The Book" about yixing clay - 宜兴紫砂矿料

May worth checking these out too:
About Antique Zhuni pots, heard they are good, but haven't got the chance to check them:
朱泥壶的世界 -- Got recommended by a Master supposedly has nice shapes of Mengchen teapots
朱泥宝记
荆溪朱泥

Gingko_Seto has a copy on his eBay store https://www.ebay.com/itm/261866128576

That's way overpriced, maybe because it's a special edition? I got mine for a couple 100 rmb I think.

[Balthazar]

Yeah, TB and JD has it for way cheaper (CNY 254 at the latter), but it's a newer publication (2019) from Qingdao Publishing Group and not one of the out-of-print editions (HK and Taiwan) Gingko_Seto refers to.