Thanks to the internet there are now several Chinese pipe carvers whom I know. Not well, of course, given that they're on the mainland, but I've seen enough of their skill to value them highly. In the Chinese context, briar pipes belong to the scholar-literati world, along with calligraphy, seal-carving, the tea arts, classical music, and rarified collectables.
Keep that in mind, as it clarifies the extremely high degree of artistry and the practiced eye that leads to the following photos, which I lifted entirely without permission from their Facebook pages.
These briar pipes are all masterpieces.
And worthy of consideration
Chao Han-Qing (赵汉青)
Chen Ce (陈策)
Shan Xiong
Shi Pu
Liu ZhiJun
ShanLiang Xie
Gao Jie
Eagle Fang
Xu Hai
Cang Zhenming
Huang Jiaji (黄佳奇)
Xiaoyu Yan
Eagle Fang lives in Guangzhou, as does Shangliang Xie. Shi Pu lives in Beijing, so does Gao Jie. Chen Ce lives in Liaoning. Chao Han-Qing is a resident, I think, of Shantung. Or thereabouts.
Shu Hai is in Beijing. Cang Zhenming is in Baoding, a city south-west of the capital, which is as far away from Tianjin eastwards. Huang Jiaji lives up far north, near the gulf of Bohai.
Xiaoyu Yan is in Beijing.
Other than their beautiful pipes, which show refined sensibilities and classic aesthetics, there is not much I know about these gentlemen.
And there are probably many other great Chinese carvers whom I will in due course discover. I very likely cannot afford their pipes, but I can certainly admire what they do.
TOBACCO INDEX
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