Today we’d like to introduce you to Fenghui Ren.
Hi Fenghui, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a mother of two children, I am looking for small businesses that I can do while studying. It happens that my husband’s hometown is the origin of Jianzhan porcelain, and Jianzhan porcelain is also famous. In order to let more people know about this artwork, I opened my own account on Instagram and then opened my own shop online.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening my own website in Shopify needs to learn by myself, and there are many details for those who are not studying design and IT. I don’t know how to make a beautiful webpage suitable for displaying my products. I also need to learn about mailing and payment. I have a lot of doubts, as well as how I can better take high-quality photos, what kind of photos my customers like, how to better describe my products, how to promote them, etc.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Hares-Fur Moonlight Studio?
We are a studio with many porcelain artists and currently only focusing on building porcelain teacups.
The Jianzhan Cup has a history of more than 1,000 years in China. Its firing began in the Tang Dynasty, as the emperors preferred a tea set for cooking tea. By the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was the heyday of the Maritime Silk Road. Fujian, the hometown of Jianzhan teacups, was the starting point and important link of the Maritime Silk Road. Therefore, the Dangjianzhan teacup is regarded as a national treasure and an important export commodity of our country.
Japan was the first country to realize the charm of Jianzhan. As early as the 13th century, Japanese monks came to the Jingshan Temple of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Zhejiang Province to study Buddhism. When they returned to China, they brought back a batch of black-glazed tea bowls, namely Jianzhan cups. Because the tea bowl was collected from Tianmu Mountain, Japanese monks called it “Tenmu Bowl” or “Tenmu Porcelain”. Since then, “Tenmu Porcelain” has gradually evolved into the Japanese collective name for Jianzhan. With the spread and development of the Chinese tea ceremony in Japan and the continuous expansion of the Jianzhan Cup market in Japan, it has gradually become favored in all walks of life in Japan and has been regarded as a treasure among tea sets ever since.
Professor Prama of the University of Michigan in the United States was the first person in the West to discover and study Jianzhan porcelain. Westerners realized the preciousness and artistry of Jianzhan cups, and this roughly began with his investigation of the cave site where Jianzhan cups were fired. In 1935, Prama went to Shuiji Town to inspect the porcelain cave ruins, hired local villagers to excavate a large number of ancient teacups, and shipped them back to the United States for research. Two years later, he published his inspection and research results, which attracted many academics and collectors from Europe, North America, Australia and other regions. These people also began to consciously study Jianzhan and collected Jianzhan cups for exhibition and transactions.
At present, the Tokyo National Museum in Japan, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, and the British Museum in the United Kingdom all have collections of Chinese Jianzhan porcelain teacups.
With the restoration of the Jianzhan porcelain firing skills and the continuous expansion of its influence, it has also begun to attract attention in the domestic and foreign auction markets. In 2016, at the Christie’s auction in New York, USA, a Song Dynasty Jianzhan was sold for 10.78 million US dollars, setting the highest price for Jianzhan porcelain.
Fortunately, the craftsmanship has been passed down to this day, and now many intangible cultural heritage artists have inherited these skills and they can replicate the glory of past. The feature of our teacups is something no artist can copy. It is outstanding, luxurious and noble. It is the best choice for gifts. And our teacup also has the effect of nourishing the body because of the special production process, whether it is coffee, tea or other beverages. Using Jianzhan teacup can make the taste purer and more delicious. Used for making tea, it can store heat for a long time and improve the taste of tea. WIth Alkaline water, the quality of the tea water will be softer and sweeter because of the teacup, stimulating and increasing the aroma of the tea, ensuring a better taste of the tea. Jianzhan teacups can also have a soothing effect. The iron ions and trace elements released during the tea-making process are more easily absorbed by the body, thus achieving a certain health effect. Using Jianzhan cup has the effect of calming emotions, and it has gradually become a new way to regulate the rhythm of life. Our studio currently has its own Instagram account, and our studio has also opened its own online store. We can currently do mailing services at home and abroad. Please visit us online more. Thank you.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
No matter what difficulties I encounter, I can face it with a good attitude. I have a consistent love for Jianzhan Porcelain. I can always learn new things like a sponge, and the strong driving force drives the spirit of never giving up.
Contact Info:
- Email: Moonlightstudio601@gmail.com
- Website: hares-hur-studio.myshopify.com
- Instagram: hares_fur_studio
- Other: tiktok @haresfurstudio
Image Credits:
The picture is taken by Fenghui Ren, the copyright of the picture is jointly owned by Hares- Fur Moonlight Studio and Fenghui Ren
