Li Maolin

Li Maolin was a Yixing teapot maker from the pottery village of Shushan who earned international recognition at a time when China was introducing its ancient crafts to the modern world. In 1915, his teapots crossed the Pacific to dazzle visitors at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where they earned a certificate of merit — proof that the quiet artistry of Zisha clay could speak to anyone, anywhere. A master of both functional teapots and decorative flower vessels, Li Maolin represents the bridge between centuries-old tradition and a new era of global appreciation.