ZISHA ART CRAFTING CLASSES OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL POTTERY FANS AND PROFESSIONAL CRAFTERS!
ZISHA ART CRAFTING CLASSES OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL POTTERY FANS AND PROFESSIONAL CRAFTERS!
Yes! dear International Ceramics Crafters and Potters, catered for all of you, Craftsman Yi Xiao Ran will help all of you pottery fans and professional crafters fulfil your wish of learning Fully-Handmade ZiSha crafting.
ZiSha crafting is, just like Painting, Calligraphy, one Chinese Art which we aim for perfection of beauty.
We are aware that Art is subjective. As much as we can say, in our Chinese ways, we aim for what we call, perfection of beauty, Painting, Calligraphy, Crafting, Ceramics.
This is who we are, and we aim for perfection of beauty, as opposed to/in contrast to "wabi-sabi"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tro1rP9nIlY&t=605s
Just like our Uncle National Grand Master of The Arts comments at the
11:36 mark, " 这个美, 是完美的。"
Because of 1)the Fully-Handmaking nature of this craft, and that this craft is dealing with the ceramic clay that is 2) the most difficult to craft with (close to two hundred steps in its slab-building), and 3) that which encompasses the highest shrinkage during firing, there will bound to be slight blemishes. Even award winning works from Grand Masters, and Masters, will always show slight blemishes. Yes, we aim for perfection of beauty, the result will almost always be 99% perfect, there will always be small faults (to sound harsh).
ZiSha Art arose in the Ming Dynasty five hundred years ago. Our RealZiSha Artists and Craftsmen intriguingly noted that Paintings, Calligraphy and Porcelain, took five hundred years from its advent, to reach their Zenith in technique and expression. We quietly know, that we at Fully-Handmaking ZiSha Art, are hence, now, at the Zenith. We say this too, without undermining the Artists from the the past, e.g. 陈鸣远, 时大彬, 惠孟臣, 时鹏, 李仲芳, 徐友泉, 邵友庭。
It is exactly now, at this timeline, that all of us at YiXing ZiSha, confidently say, as we count its advent chronologically, through its progression spanning five hundred years, that we have reached:
1. the maximum in our technique and craftsmanship, and,
2. the maximum of clay purity and fine extraction.
Therefore, whatever Fully-Handmade ZiSha works that you procure now with us, you can be proud that they will be timeless and, most magnificent.
We at RealZiSha also wish to extend, not just the best Fully-Handmade ZiSha works across all ranges, but the golden opportunity to learn this very craft!
We welcome anytime, any friends, internationally, to come by and learn this precious Chinese Ceramics Art:
Fully-Handmade ZiSha.
Ms Sarah Gruhier, a dear Parisian potter, registered in January this year (2025), and after discussion with us and arrangements on our side, she opted for the costlier one-to-one, extremely intensive, seven-day, daily 9am to 4:30pm disciplined course.
She is very courageous. Even though she knows beforehand from our site and discussion, that it takes three years or more of learning and apprenticeship to be proficient at the "basic" models, she humbly and confidently says she is undaunted! She told us she has very much made up her mind to come all the way from France to meet us and learn from Yi Xiao Ran and Zhang Ke.
The rest is history, as she registered and embarked on a beautiful journey.
Prior to her arrival, Zhang Ke cleared his studio by the River Li 蠡河, just opposite the historical Hill Shu 蜀山 to make way for her arrival.
Craftsman Yi Xiao Ran took one week of time prior to her arrival to get the tools, clay, and much preparations to make it as comprehensive, intensive yet seamless for Sarah's gruelling course. Yi Xiao Ran knows there is no time to waste. Ample preparations from Yi's part enabled Sarah's decisive improvements. We fetched her from YiXing Rail Station on the first afternoon, settled her, and brought her to have dinner and chat! The next morning begins with the first day of intensive training. Ms Sarah grew in strength daily, garnering praise from Yi Xiao Ran too!
Xu Zhou is our cousin, and he helped a lot with the logistics and taking care of Ms Sarah. We also brought her to the YiXing Ceramics Museum amongst other places to chill and relax. We wanted her to have a wholesome YiXing experience! Ms Sarah has since gone back to France, and she writes this note for all of us as the foreword on the top of this page.
Ms Sarah is also very gracious and is keen to share her photos and sweet memories with all of you!
YOU WILL BE GETTING SO MUCH MORE IN RETURN for the money, because we are Chinese and we pamper our guests!
Headed by Craftsman Yi Xiao Yan, Assoc Master Zhang Ke. Our cousin Xu Zhou the attentive, bubbly epicurist, will be drive Yi Xiao Ran and you around, lunch and all!
(This is not the casual, flippant "diy 1 hour" crafting catered by some shops along popular tourist traps in Ding Shu Zhen Nan Jie.
This is real professional crafting, for professional crafters and serious hobbyists eager to learn in their journey. Our head Craftsman Yi Xiao Ran and various Artists will be here with you! Professional course of $1,100 - $1,700 per Crafter participant inversely proportional to the number of participants per class/course, and depending on the number of days requested (either five, six or seven days) according to your own preference. Let your eyes and hands exercise to the full!
Definitely, you, at your local Ceramics/Pottery professional and/or hobby groups, may form anything from 6 to 20 pax per class. Any bigger group, we are able to expand the venue comfortably as well, borrowing our uncle National Grand Master of The Arts level one hall.
Sum of the $1,100 - $1,700 course per pax, is inclusive of Sumptuous lunches which we will bring and arrange for you.
Should you need lodging, our Cao Family has special access and we can help you book for the hotel stay at The Central YiXing Purple Clay Hotel, discounted rate due to our Cao Family’s connection with the hotel, would be at $300 for 5 nights stay, $400 for 7 nights stay. This packaged hotel stay would also include daily international buffet breakfasts.
The Deluxe hotel rooms are very big, luxurious and comfortable, toilet has central make-up/wash sink with shower room left and bath tub on the right. Rest assured, you will be pampered by the amenities and comfort.
~~~
Simply email us at realzisha@gmail.com and arrange to be with us at our YiXing ZiSha Crafting classes for international Crafters and Potters, headed by highly skilled Craftsman Yi Xiao Ran, Assoc Master Zhang Ke.
Let us know the number of participants, can be one or many! If there are many in a class, our Cao Family, associate Craftsmen and Artists will start planning the logistics and start the classes for all of you participants! So enjoy this professional ZiSha crafting course for international Crafters!
Foreword by our recent course student, a proficient Potter of her own right from France,
Ms Sarah Gruhier :-D,
"A few months ago, I sent an email to Ian and Yi-Lei - at
the realzisha.com, asking for their help to find a master, to train me
in making fully-handmade zisha teapot. I didn’t know what to expect exactly, but
the result went far beyond, in every ways.
Let me tell you the story.
Since I fell in love with the craft of hand-making teapots a couple of
years ago, I’ve been watching and reading a tremendous amount of
resources: online videos, blogs and websites and also books. I managed
to find the tools and started my self-training in the craft. After a
while, I felt I needed to come to Yixing in person, to feel the
atmosphere, to meet the artists, to fill the gaps and get some tools.
And hopefully, to get a proper training.
One day, as I was reading an article on their website :
RealZisha.com, I thought: “these fellows must know many potters,
let's ask for their help !”
And so I did. And here I am.
Ian and Yi-Lei, I want to deeply thank you for everything : first for
having understood me so well.
Second, for all the coordination work you made to make my dream come
true, with such warm and kind manners.
The first email initiated a very nice long conversation with Ian and
Yi-Lei, about who, what, when, ..., clearing expectations. Then, they
kindly organized everything :
Book the Hotel, find a studio to host me, find a master that would
agree to teach me, in a language I could understand, arrange transfers
from the hotel to the studio, and back... the only thing left for me
to do was to actually reach the place.
A few days ago, I was warmly welcomed at the Yixing railway station by
Master Yi Xiao Ran and Zhang Ke's cousin Xu Zhou. Both took really good
care of me during the whole trip. From day 1 to the very last day.
Yi Xiao, my dear instructor, I want to deeply thank you for
everything: generosity, sharing your knowledge, all the tips and
detailed descriptions of the process, for being so encouraging at all
times. And also for all the conversations we had, not only about
ceramics and teapots but also about culture and philosophy.
Xu Zhou, I want to deeply thank you for everything : travelling me
around every day and everywhere, being so kind and generous of your
time and sharing. Even though we couldn't speak without the
translator's weird sentences, i feel we definitely managed to
exchange.Thanks to your sensitive approach, you were very attentive to
other's feelings, helpful and kind, and thus you are such a lovely
human being. I am glad I met you, you made my trip very much pleasant.
Zhang Ke, I want to deeply thank you for everything : allowing me to
occupy your lovely studio for seven days, making me very comfortable by
sharing tea and moments, as well as tools and clay. Your studio is an
absolute dream, full of charm and so well located.
This whole team made my dream come true, not only about mastering
technics, but also fulfilling my endless curiosity, by taking me to
many restaurants, places, pottery, teaware, tools and tea shops, also
museum and even the bamboo forest !
I am not the same person than before, I learnt so much about so many
things, you all made this trip perfect and far beyond my expectations,
and my new dream now is only to get to come over again.
Warm regards,
Sarah Gruhier, @sargru.ceramics, www.sargru.fr"
