Interview with Zhao Limei (赵丽美)
This bilingual interview is presented in English with the original Chinese included below each question and answer for reference.
1. When did you first come into contact with this craft, and what led you onto this path?
Chinese: 您是从什么时候开始接触这门技艺的？当初是什么契机让您走上这条道路？
Answer (English): I have been deeply interested in traditional handicrafts since childhood. I first began engaging with Song dynasty old Jian cup specimens in 2005, starting from selling at street stalls. In 2015, I began learning about contemporary Jianzhan firing techniques, and in 2016, I formally studied under Li Ximei, a nationally recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage inheritor known as “China’s most remarkable auntie.” In 2019, I established the “Zhaoji Longyao” dragon kiln and began firing my own works. From the beginning, I was profoundly moved by the process of shaping clay by hand and transforming it through fire into a finished vessel. Later, when I encountered the mysterious crystalline effects unique to Jianzhan, my curiosity only deepened. From curiosity came love, and from love came persistence. Looking back, it feels like both fate and original intention guided me onto this path.
Answer (Chinese): 我从小就对传统手工艺有浓厚兴趣，真正学习这门技艺是在【2005开始接触宋代老盏标本，从摆地摊开始。2015年开始了解现在建盏烧制技艺，2016年拜师学艺“中国最牛大妈非遗传承人李细妹老师”2019年挂牌“兆极龙窑”盖窑烧制自己的作品】最初是被泥土经手塑造、经火成器的过程深深打动，再欣赏到建盏独特的神秘结晶体很是好奇，从好奇到热爱，一步步坚持到现在，也算是一种缘分与初心使然。
2. Do you still personally take part in clay preparation, throwing, and trimming? Which steps must you personally oversee?
Chinese: 您现在是否亲自参与练泥、拉坯与修坯？哪些环节是您必须亲自把关的？
Answer (English): At present, I still personally participate in the core stages of production, especially throwing, trimming, and shaping, which are the key processes that determine the spirit and character of a piece. From clay preparation to forming, glazing, and kiln loading, I personally oversee every stage. I do not allow any part of the process that could affect the quality of the work to be handled carelessly.
Answer (Chinese): 目前核心工序我依然会亲自参与，尤其是拉坯、修坯、造型定型这些决定作品气质的关键步骤。从泥料处理到成型、施釉、入窑，每一道工序我都会亲自把关，不允许任何影响作品品质的环节敷衍了事。
3. Do you have any particular standards or principles when selecting clay and glaze materials?
Chinese: 您对泥料与釉料的选择有什么特别的坚持？
Answer (English): When it comes to clay, I place the greatest importance on purity of texture, warmth, and fine smoothness, seeking a balance between tactile feel and visual character. For glaze materials, I insist on using natural and safe ingredients. I do not pursue excessive flamboyance. Instead, I focus on the harmony between glaze color and vessel form, creating works that remain appealing over time and can stand up to long-term appreciation.
Answer (Chinese): 在泥料上，我更看重质地纯净、温润细腻，追求手感与质感的统一；釉料则坚持选用天然、安全的原料，不追求过度花哨，更注重釉色与器型的和谐，让作品耐看、经得住时间考验。
4. Do you personally formulate your glazes? Are they part of your own core recipes?
Chinese: 您的釉料是否由您亲自调配？是否属于个人核心配方？
Answer (English): Most of my glazes are personally formulated by me through long periods of repeated testing and experimentation, and they are part of my personal core recipes. Every glaze color has gone through countless adjustments, and these glaze formulations are an important part of what gives my work its recognizable style.
Answer (Chinese): 我的釉料大多是经过长期反复试验、由我亲自调配的，属于个人核心配方。每一种釉色都经过无数次调整，也是作品风格辨识度的重要部分。
5. During the firing process, what factors matter most to you?
Chinese: 在烧制过程中，您最看重的关键因素是什么？
Answer (English): In firing, the factors I value most are temperature control, the management of kiln atmosphere, and the placement of pieces within the kiln. The changing behavior of fire directly determines success or failure. I would rather work more slowly and produce fewer pieces, so long as each one is fired under stable and appropriate conditions.
Answer (Chinese): 烧制中我最看重温度控制、气氛把握与窑位安排。火的变化直接决定作品成败，宁可慢、宁可少，也要保证每一件都在稳定、合适的状态下烧制！
6. How do you judge whether a piece has met your standards? When grading your works, what do you focus on?
Chinese: 您如何判断一只作品是否达到您的标准？在分等级时，您主要依据哪些标准来区分？
Answer (English): I make a comprehensive judgment based on multiple aspects, including the regularity of the form, the rhythm and vitality of the lines, the glaze surface effect, the quality and feel of the body, and any firing flaws. My grading is mainly based on overall integrity, glaze consistency, refinement of details, and whether there are notable kiln-transformation effects. Only works that meet my own standards are presented to collectors.
Answer (Chinese): 我会从器型规整度、线条气韵、釉面效果、胎质质感、烧制瑕疵等多个方面综合判断。分级主要依据整体完整度、釉色均匀度、细节精致度以及是否有窑变等，只有达到我心中标准的作品，才会面向收藏者。
7. As a brand founder, how do you balance artistic creation and market demand?
Chinese: 作为品牌创始人，您如何平衡艺术创作与市场需求？
Answer (English): I always insist that the quality of the work comes first. I do not cater to short-term trends, nor do I blindly pursue mass production. Market recognition is important, but artistic expression and craftsmanship standards matter even more. I believe in finding a rhythm that suits me and moving forward steadily between these two realities.
Answer (Chinese): 我始终坚持以作品品质为先，不迎合短期潮流，也不盲目量产。市场认可很重要，但艺术表达与工艺底线更重要，在两者之间找到适合自己的节奏，稳步前行。
8. Do you have a series you feel is your most representative or most satisfying? Why?
Chinese: 您是否有自己最满意或最具代表性的系列？为什么？
Answer (English): My more representative series include Wujin Yaoguang, Retro Silver Hao, Oil Spot, Pearl Spot, and Qianfeng Jinxiu. These series bring together my understanding of vessel form, glaze color, and artistic mood. They are rooted in tradition while also expressing my personal style, and they are among the works into which I have poured the most effort.
Answer (Chinese): 【乌金·瑶光，复古银豪，油滴，珍珠斑，千峰锦绣………】是我比较有代表性的系列。它集中体现了我对器型、釉色与意境的理解，既有传统根基，又有个人风格，也是我投入心血最多的一类作品。
9. What advice would you give to younger learners?
Chinese: 您对年轻学习者有什么建议？
Answer (English): Before learning the craft, learn to cultivate your heart. Before doing the work, learn to conduct yourself well as a person. Do not rush for quick success. Calm down, build a strong foundation, observe more, think more, and practice more. There are no shortcuts in craftsmanship. Patience and perseverance matter far more than technique alone.
Answer (Chinese): 学艺先学心，做事先做人。不要急于求成，沉下心把基础打牢，多观察、多思考、多动手。手艺没有捷径，耐心与坚持，远比技巧更重要。
10. What do you hope future collectors of your work will most understand and value?
Chinese: 您希望未来收藏您作品的人，最应该理解或珍惜的是什么？
Answer (English): I hope collectors will understand that every piece is the result of handmade warmth and the accumulation of time. It is not a standardized industrial product. I hope they will treasure each work’s uniqueness, and value the craftsmanship, dedication, and everyday fire-and-earth spirit behind it. In use and companionship, that is where the vessel’s true value comes alive.
Answer (Chinese): 希望收藏者能理解，每一件作品都是手作温度与时间沉淀的结果，不是标准化工业品。珍惜它的独一无二，珍惜背后的匠心与烟火气，让器物在使用与陪伴中体现价值！