Craftsman Zhai Yi Yao delights us again this time with the:
Gao Shi Piao "Tall Shi Piao"!
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Skilful Craftsman Zhai Yi Yao 翟一耀 has officially joined up with Craftsman Wang Xing and us. Both of them specialises and taking care of all the Zhu Ni Works from June 2024 onwards! Craftsman Zhai started off in June with his Xi Shi and Li Xing for us, the Jun De recently in August and here he presents to you:
The latest,
Gao Shi Piao 高石瓢。
Zhai Yi Yao's Gao Shi Piao is difficult to craft for the same reason as a Han Wa.
You may read the reasons here:
https://www.realzisha.com/products/han-wa-%E6%B1%89%E7%93%A6-special-and-difficult-to-craft-ai-han-wa-%E7%9F%AE%E6%B1%89%E7%93%A6-version-278ml-lao-zi-ni-%E8%80%81%E7%B4%AB%E6%B3%A5-craftsman-chen-fa-chu-%E9%99%88%E6%B3%95%E5%88%9D
Craftsman Chen Hua Jun's adorable Gao Shi Piao, crafted from Huang Jiang Po Ni, looks like this:
https://www.realzisha.com/products/shi-piao-%E7%9F%B3%E7%93%A2-gao-shi-piao-%E9%AB%98%E7%9F%B3%E7%93%A2-huang-jiang-po-ni-%E9%BB%84%E9%99%8D%E5%9D%A1%E6%B3%A5-craftsman-chen-hua-jun-%E9%99%88%E5%8D%8E%E5%86%9B
Craftsman Zhai told us he opted to craft the Gao Shi Piao with an even bigger and wider top opening compared to Craftsman Chen Hua Jun's Gao Shi Piao, because he aims for even better ease of use during daily steeping of tea for the owner:
Ease of introduction of tea leaves and rinsing after use.
We know having a wider flat lidwill present a bigger challenge for him but he went ahead! :-D Delightfully, he succeeded and here it is: Notice the very wide top opening, with Craftsman Zhai succeeding! Notice the wide lid with the completely flat top: with no sinking/no deformation downwards due to the pressure of the kid knob during firing :-D
AND, same as for the Han Wa, it is more challenging to construct and successfully fire a wide and totally flat top without deformation, especially with the spout base very close to the front-most end of the lid-body interface. During pouring tea out, there will be a longer period of time whereby the user, you, will subject the front-most end of the lid-body interface to the tea water within encroaching upon this lid-body interface, hence the longer it is where tea water may seep out and drip off from the top lid-body interface.
Craftsman Zhai succeeded with this Gao Shi Piao, look-alike as the Han Wa silhouette.
Gao Shi Piao is a shape that we like a lot because of its classic aura yet having an adorable, softening aura.
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Zhai Yi Yao and Wang Xing are former course mates for three years at the ZiSha school. He is now with us, working alongside his long time friend Craftsman Wang Xing, they mingle and often exchange their experiences with Chen Fa Chu, Zhang Huan, Gu Xiao Ming, Chen Hua Jun, Chen Gui Zhi.
Zhai Yi Yao's skills are brilliant.
His mastery of the overall shape is here for us to savour.
The Xing Ti 形体 of Zhai Yi Yao's and Wang Xing's works are superb! From the photographs, we admire and easily appreciate their amazing Craftsmanship.
This is ZiSha Art, working with XiaoMeiYao ZhuNi, one with even higher shrinkage than ZiNi and DuanNi, and thus a lot more deformities that CAN arise easily during firing. Success rates between 50-70%. We bear witness to their skills as both of them PAINSTAKINGLY and PROUDLY present their labor of love for all of you friends.
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TRULY FULLY-HANDMADE AND DELICATELY MADE.
NOT those thick-/irregular-thickness-walled ones which are actually fake "Fully-handmade ZhuNi pots" utilising the cheating new technology: "车一刀 Che Yi Dao": Such ZhuNi pots utilizing Che Yi Dao process, have been sprouting up in the market since early 2022. Che Yi Dao involves a swivelling-rotational cutter that goes around a roughly-finished ZhuNi pot to cut the outer surface into a perfect shape. This cutter obliviates the need of accomplished skill of a true Fully-Handmaking Craftsman. Obviously, Che Yi Dao also absolves the need of a skilled FHM Craftsman to 1)pound the slab into a careful thin-slab, 2)paddle-pat the slab into a uniform shape purely manually.
In the utilisation of Che Yi Dao cutter, the worker will just need to 1) roughly pound the slab into a slightly thicker slab. After that the worker rounds up this slab as part of the main body, and will just 2)need to ROUGHLY paddle-pat it into shape. After which he sets up the Che Yi Dao cutter to revolve and cut the body into a perfect shape.
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We are grateful and honoured to have Craftsman Zhai Yi Yao completely sharing his range of skills with Zhu Ni with you! Let us all help him along and adopt his works as well. Kind and diligent, we all love Craftsman Zhai. He thanks you dearest Friends for your kindest support of his Art!
BRING ONE HOME, USE IT and you will know all about Fully-Handmade ZiSha, the feel of real and quality YiXing ZiSha, the nurturing of Patina, how the true Patina feels and looks like, the Aura exuded from a Fully-Handmade Pot which others simply can't bring forth, and, Craftsman Zhai Yi Yao's skills, savour the pour. You will know everything then.
