Frosted Mountain - 160 ml Dai Gaiwan
This handmade Chinese gaiwan is a unique piece, crafted by Master Zhang using natural red clay sourced from Jǐnghóng 景洪, in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
Its body is carved with continuous geometric herringbone relief patterns, mimicking layered mountain ridges and cascading terraced farmlands that stretch across Yunnan’s terrain.
The vessel undergoes two precise firing phases: first a plain bisque firing to solidify the raw indigenous clay, followed by manual glaze application and a second high-temperature firing. The creamy off-white glaze is hand-dipped and poured over the textured body on purpose, flowing down naturally to form uneven, streaky drapes that cling to the embossed lines—just like thin morning frost slowly sliding over layered mountain slopes.
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DAI-MINORITY TRADITIONAL TEAWARE
张老师 Zhang Laoshi's work
Zhang Laoshi's workshop is a real institution in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna; it is an ample courtyard with multiple traditional Dai buildings, hosting enough space for her work, for her kilns - including a Dragon kiln - , her beloved students, and of course an off-limits space where she develops new ideas.
There is also a small museum which gathers the pieces she has inherited by her family since five generations of Dai pottery masters in Banna.
Whereas Qiu Laoshi is the Dai tradition innovator, Ms. Zhang is the keeper of the original tradition and design, honed by her contemporary studies and a life of practice.
The soil she uses is sourced locally from Xishuangbanna, between the wild forests of Mengsong, Laobanzhang, and Yiwu. Each of her creations is a delicate and sincere expression of the Yunnan landscape, and all pieces bear her unique signature.
