Zhang Yancheng

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhang Yancheng, Male, Han, from Chaozhou, Guangdong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Pottery Firing Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-98). The tradition is documented in Chaozhou, Guangdong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Pottery Firing Craftsmanship in Chaozhou, Guangdong: The Fengxi hand-pulled red-clay teapot has strong local character, with diverse and exquisite types, concise lines, rich and mellow color, and a high degree of smoothness. It contains a relatively high amount of iron oxide, is highly plastic and breathable, and differs from both purple-clay and traditional porcelain clay, yet possesses the basic properties of both. In the Song dynasty, the Bijiashan kiln in the Chaozhou region already produced large quantities of pottery. After the Song dynasty, Fengxi became a center of pottery production; the Fengxi hand-pulled red-clay teapot is a representative product of Fengxi ceramics. From the mid-Qing dynasty, the Fengxi red-clay teapot developed a style of its own, was produced and applied widely, and has been passed down from generation to generation to the present day. The several-hundred-year evolution of this craft records the different historical transformations of tea-culture development, corroborates the origins and representative connotations of Chaozhou-Shantou culture, and is endowed with the dual character of a perfect union of craftsmanship and artistic appreciation.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhang Yancheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Pottery Firing Craftsmanship in Chaozhou, Guangdong. Within the documented technical tradition of Pottery Firing Craftsmanship in Chaozhou, Guangdong: The Fengxi hand-pulled red-clay teapot making craft is a traditional pottery-making skill of the Chaozhou region that uses locally mined red clay ore as raw material and forms the teapot by hand-pulling the body. It is mainly distributed in the area centered on the Fengxi District of Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, and is gradually extending to the Xiangqiao District and the Chao'an District. Common shapes include the pear form, the level form, the flat-lamp form, and the flat-drum form. The hand-pulling craft of the Fengxi red-clay teapot uses hand-pulled body forming and the traditional wheel-throwing pottery technique. The hand-pulled red-clay teapot is made from locally mined red clay, and its production goes through nearly sixty process steps: selecting material, preparing the clay, pulling the body, trimming the body, attaching the spout and handle, air-drying, glazing, loading the kiln, and firing. Its material is carefully chosen, mainly using local clay commonly called 'red clay', processed through special clay preparation. Moreover, this making craft is rather exacting: the traditional wheel-rotation forming method is reflected in aspects such as vessel shaping, teapot decoration, and functional control, manifesting the special form of the red-clay teapot in multiple ways. The Fengxi hand-pulled red-clay teapot making craft has a long history and deep accumulation. The Fengxi hand-pulled red-clay teapot making craft has inherited and absorbed the ancient ceramic-making skills of the Chinese nation, preserving specific elements from different periods, embodying the traditional aesthetic standards of the Chinese nation, and suiting the aesthetic tastes of both the common people and the literati class. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Documented Process Record": The hand-pulled red-clay teapot is made from locally mined red clay, and its production goes through nearly sixty process steps: selecting material, preparing the clay, pulling the body, trimming the body, attaching the spout and handle, air-drying, glazing, loading the kiln, and firing.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhang Yancheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Pottery Firing Craftsmanship, with Chaozhou, Guangdong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Pottery Firing Craftsmanship in Chaozhou, Guangdong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Chaozhou, Guangdong as its declared area, and Chaozhou Fengxi District Culture Gongzuo Office as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Zhangyancheng (Chaozhou, Guangdong) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhangyancheng · China ICH Official Archive