Dasheng Teapot’s heir inherits the tradition, exploring and innovating

Fan Weiqun ----- Qiang Jiang Hui’s famous artist of YiXing Purple Clay Teapot

Fan Weiqun ----- Qiang Jiang Hui’s famous artist of YiXing Purple Clay teapot

Fan Weiqun, born in a ceramic family in 1970, is a provincial master, a national senior arts and crafts artist, a famous contemporary ceramic artist, a ceramic art master in Jiangsu Province, and a member of the Chinese Arts and Crafts Society.

Learning from the grand art masters

Inheriting the tradition, developing and innovating

In 1984, Fan Weiqun entered the second purple clay factory,learning artistic skill from Wu Tongfen. Because edified by ceramic family atmosphere since childhood，Fan Weiqun soon fully mastered all kinds of production skills of the purple clay craft under the teacher's strict teaching and his hard study.

The Jiasha Flat Bellied Teapot made by Fan Weiqun won the first prize of the whole factory technology quality anonymous selection, and then Fan Weiqun was accepted as a disciple by the Chinese arts and crafts master Xu Hantangsuch, and that likes meeting a refreshing rain after a long drought.

Under master Xu's careful guidance, Fan Weiqun has improved his production and creation techniques in YiXing Purple Clay technology, and is proficient in all aspects of light plain ware, flower model ware and rib model ware.

“Hexagon”made by Fan Weiqun,Qiang Jiang Hui’s famous artist of YiXing Purple Clay teapot

After 1992, Fan Weiqun has been employed in the Fifth Purple Clay Factory, Shugu Purple Clay factory as technical guidance, having cultivated more than 100 new purple clay technicists for the purple clay industry. A number of new products created by Mr Fan have been selected to participate exhibitions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, having won consistent praise and the love of purple clay enthusiasts at home and abroad and become the most potential young ceramist in Yixing purple clay industry at that time.

In artistic creation, Fan Weiqun inherits the tradition, pioneering and innovative, casting his works about thoughts, spirit, craft and literary mind.Whether it is the colored goods imitating from the natural flower ,the vein tea set with smooth lines, or the light ware with flourishing scholar's style, all show Mr Fan’s spirit of the time,aesthetic pursuit and cultural character fully contained in his purple clay art.

“Dasheng Teapot” renowned at home and abroad

The fourth generation continues to flourish

Fan Weiqun was the direct grandson of Fan Qinren (styled Cheng Fu, 1875-1942), a teapot great maker in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. In 1875, Fan Qinren was born in Wangxu Village, Dingshu West, Yixing, by the bank of Taihu Lake. He was the eldest son of Fan Guangshan, the founder of "Dasheng Teapot". Fan's Family Tree contains: Fan Qinren is the 29th grandson of Fan Zhongyan.

It is reported that “Fan Dasheng” is a social nickname for teapot great makers:Fan Guangshan and his son Fan Qinren.Because Fan Guangshan and his son Fan Qinren made the teapot with "Dasheng" as an inscription, "Dasheng" becomes the father and his son’s common stage name.

"Dasheng Teapot" is famous for its exquisite production and rich modeling. In the period of the Republic of China, it was reputed as "A precious Dasheng Teapot deserves more than a thousand pieces of gold". Their works have won the international gold award for six consecutive times, and they are the first international gold award winner of Yixing Purple clay. "Dasheng Teapot" enjoys a good reputation both at home and abroad.

As the fourth generation successor of "Dasheng Teapot", Fan Weiqun shows the new aspect and dimension of thinking of YiXing purple clay art, adding new vitality to the art of YiXing purple clay teapot which is immersed in the traditional paradigm. Because of extensive knowledge and reading, Fan Weiqun, who has been working with YiXing purple clay art for 30 years, transitions between reality and imagination. As an inheritor of purple clay art family,He has become a person who pays equal attention to learning and thinking, and holds a very important vein in the inheritance of Yinxing purple clay teapot art.

In order to continue to carry forward the "Dasheng Teapot",Fan Weiqun founded Fanjia Teapot factory and led purple clay craftsmen wholeheartedly researching the creation of purple clay art,and they devoted to the study of purple clay treasures of elder generation, deeply aware of its artistic atmosphere and actively absorbing the essence of traditional art. According to several fine works handed down by the Dasheng, after careful study and repeated deliberation, Mr Fan creates"inheritance - the series of fine works handed down by Dasheng",which with exquisite workmanship, plain atmosphere and united by shape and spirit, and the works won gold medal of the Fifth China Arts and Crafts Master Fine works Expo..

The Fan family has been with POTS for several generations, and they are also connected with The Expo because of POTS. In 1909, "Big Persimmon Teapot" was born by Fan Dasheng. In 1910, this teapot participated in the first international fair officially held by China, the Nanyang Persuasion Fair,and won the highest prize. One hundred years later, the 41st World Expo was held in Shanghai, and the "Peace and Harmony Pot" created by Fan Weiqun attracted the attention of the world at the Expo. At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, two purple clay teapots made by Fan Weiqun were recommended by wang Shouming, a famous cultural expert, to African artists participating in the "Cultural and Art Exchanges Between China and 15 African Countries".

Adhere to the "craftsman spirit"

Actively promote purple clay culture

Fan Weiqun has studied and created purple clay art carefully since he was engaged in it, and has actively promoted and carried forward purple clay culture. Fan Weiqun believes that the basic connotation of "craftsman spirit" includes professional dedication, lean, concentration, innovation and other aspects. Professional dedication is a conscientious professional mental state generated by practitioners based on their reverence and love for their profession.Lean is the pursuit of excellence, which means that practitioners concentrate on every product and every process,and strive for perfection and pursue the ultimate professional quality. The development of purple clay industry is inseparable from the purple clay craftsman's adherence to the "craftsman spirit", Fan Weiqun is also strict with himself, and over the years his elaborate purple clay works with unique shape and distinct personality were selected by the central leadership as a national gift.

“Bamboo”made by Fan Weiqun,Qiang Jiang Hui’s famous artist of YiXing Purple Clay Teapot

In addition, Fan Weiqun has been to Hong Kong, Macao and domestic cities for many times, displaying the purple clay teapot art and promoting of purple clay culture. In 2004 and 2005, Fan Weiqun went to South Korea twice to hold the art exhibition, the art demonstration and the art hobby exchange promotion meeting for the purple clay teapot art, and got the warm welcome and love of Korean teapot friends.

During Mr Fan’s two trips to South Korea, the South Korean public got a deeper and wider understanding of purple clay, and Fan Weiqun made a positive contribution to the promotion of purple clay art.