In Paifang Street in Chaozhou Ancient Town, there is a courtyard called Mingde Garden. Unlike the bustling Paifang Street, the garden is a different world. In the front courtyard, there is a pond with groups of carp, while a quiet and elegant bamboo forest grows in the back courtyard, which blends harmoniously with the two-floor main building.

The owner of this garden is Xie Hua, the only Chinese arts and crafts master for Chaozhou's handmade red clay teapots and the fifth-generation successor of the "Junhe" brand.

People from Chaozhou are fond of tea, where a teapot with brewed tea sets the tone for their daily lives. With the inclusion of "Chinese Tea" as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2022, Chinese tea has become popular worldwide.And Chaozhou Gongfu tea ceremony is an important part of it, and the "Gongfu"(“工夫”)in Gongfu tea largely represents the handmade red clay teapots.

Xie Hua has been devoted to the study of handmade teapot making for nearly 40 years. In 1983, at the age of 17, Xie went into the profession under the guidance of his father, learning the essentials of handmade teapot making and its business operation. Xie jokingly said that he didn't even have time to take a shower for more than a week. He would throw clay from 7 AM until 11 PM every day.

The craftsmanship of Xie's teapot is rooted in nature and achieved mastery through a comprehensive study. He is good at integrating classical, modern, domestic, and foreign aesthetic concepts into his works of red clay pots. "Great truths are always simple. To make a pot, it begins with simple steps, thenventuringinto complexity, and finally goes back to simple." Xie added that except for technology, the key to making a good teapot lies in "the effort outside the pot".He nourishes the art of pots with philosophy and tries to use the essence of traditional Chinese culture, such as ancient ceramics, bronzes, Wadang (eaves) from the Han Dynasty, and carvings.

According to Xie, the exquisite charm displayed by a good teapot is a kind of artistic creativity that follows the natural way. The so-called "great truths are always simple" means that the more simple the teapot is, the more charm it has. Born with the teapot, this literary charm carries its tension, which can communicate with people and highlight its temperament naturally. 

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

【视频】谢华：大匠初心，相信未来|走进名家工作室⑨

在潮州古城牌坊街的深处，有一座名叫“明德园”的庭院。不同于游人如织的牌坊街，走进庭院却是别有一番天地：前庭可见鲤鱼成群的池塘，后院则有清幽雅致的竹林，与两层楼高的主体建筑相映成趣。

这样一座庭院的主人是潮州手拉朱泥壶制作行当里唯一的中国工艺美术大师、“俊合号”第五代传人——谢华。

潮州人嗜茶，一把壶、一泡茶，开启潮州人一天的生活。随着2022年“中国茶”列为联合国教科文组织人类非遗，中国茶已然风靡全球。潮州工夫茶艺是其中的重要组成部分，而工夫茶中的“工夫”，则很大程度上借助于那把手拉朱泥壶。

谢华在手拉壶制作方面已潜心研究了近40年。1983年，17岁的谢华在父亲的引导下入行，学习手拉壶的制作要领和经营方法。谢华笑称，最疯狂时他连续一个多星期顾不上洗澡，每天从早上7时一直拉坯至深夜11时。

“源于自然，融会贯通”是谢华制壶的特点。他善于把古典的、现代的、国内外的美学理念融入朱泥壶作品中。“大道至简。做壶，从最开始的简单，到后来的复杂，最后还是要回到简单。”谢华说，要做一把好壶，不能只靠技术，关键在于“壶外之功”。他以哲学滋养壶艺，并尝试着将古陶瓷、青铜器、汉朝瓦当、雕刻等中国传统文化精髓化为己用。

在谢华看来，一把好壶所表现出来的精湛的神韵，是道法自然的一种艺术创意。所谓大道至简，越是简约，气韵越是充盈其间。陶器本来的气质是自在的，它自带张力，会和人交流，将这种朴素自在的气质凸显出来，便是紫砂壶的文人气象。

文 | 记者 周欣怡 朱绍杰
图、视频 | 彭泽祥 彭灏明 陈贤宇 戚容源 唐德荣 林丹丹 暨晴 李可渲(实习生)
翻译｜Bunny 陈萱

出品人：杜传贵 林海利
策划：孙爱群 陈桥生
监制：邓琼蒋铮吴小攀
统筹：朱绍杰 何奔
执行：周欣怡 彭灏明 文艺 黄宙辉 孙磊
海报设计：唐欣怡