ABOUT

The idea was to create a set of 50 handmade chawans that captured the essence of matcha culture for a curious, European clientele.

As organising research expeditions internationally remained challenging, I ventured into the eastern part of my native mainland China to study some of the earliest chawan forms at Zen Buddhist monasteries. This, combined an understanding of chawan’s evolution in China and Japan, allowed me to come up with a form that is simple and modern.

I returned to Shanghai and worked with a local ceramic studio to source local clays, design production cycle, and craft the products. Within the course of 45 days, we were able to produce and ship off the batch of 50 chawans, each stamped with a hand-carved seal showing our client’s logo.