Kizeamon Ido Chawan.... Impermanence.

flux, but it is as truthful as I can feel....


A Joseon (1392 - 1910) Lee Dynasty edo style? tea bowl.


Enjoy a moment of birth and rebirth from this vessel.


peace.

Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, 7th Edition. My Idol...

Besides tea, wine is a good part of my life also. Having the greatest honor to design Parker's latest edition is a dream come true! I've been a humble follower of Mr. Parker's for over a decade now.... Hope one day we will have a moment to appreciate fine tea together. (Dream on)

This Gigantic 7th edition Hardcover and Paperback were in my mail today. What an Amazing Surprise! Thanks Jackie ; )

A thought on Lao Ni

Lao Ni means Old Clay, or clay that had been aged before going into the kiln. I've learned from old yixing masters and most of them have recipe clay passed on by their masters and to their students, some have been aged more than a Century.

Gu Jing Zhou once said before his master passed away, they together made some pots using the master Lao Ni. The result are Masterpieces, with the finest recipe clay and tradition which will pass on for generations.

Good Recipe Lao Ni is like Jade, said master He Dao Hong... both are minerals at the end of the day. Yixing shares a lot of characters that jade has. The more you use, the more luster it will show. It will glow like Jade with human touch and get lighter by time.

These two pots in the front are from the same master, same clay and made at the same time (I guess). You can tell by these pics that there is luster shine to them, even after so many years. The funny thing is, if you cradle it inside your hands, it will suck up all the oil from your palm, glowing like a gem. Almost like when a puppy has been waiting for her master to come home all day, once you stepped inside the house, the puppy lit-up. Fun....

Qing's Yixing lovers

These Qing's Dynasty (1644-1911) Yixing came in pairs. Lovers or perhaps partners for over a Century. Some have been repaired, and some will remain wabi.

These are all made by the same factory: Mansheng, of course not the real person Mansheng himself. Just imitation of the master's shape. I encountered a real ManSheng pot in Hong Kong Flagstaff museum once, and was a learning experience.



This one at the center is the only one came alone.... Over the weekend, I'd transformed him to a brand new person. Here are the before and after pics. Cleaning up patina of over a 100 year-old is also a learning and humble experience.