A LIVING TRADITION
Centuries in the Making.
Bamboo weaving has long been part of everyday life in China.
During the Qing dynasty, artisans in Sichuan began weaving fine bamboo around metal vessels. Over time, porcelain became the foundation for a distinct form of the craft, known as citai zhubian (瓷胎竹编).
In 2008, porcelain-body bamboo weaving was included in China's national list of intangible cultural heritage.
Its history lives not only in the objects that remain, but in the skills passed from one generation of makers to the next.
THE PORCELAIN FORM
Made in Dehua, Shaped for the Weave.
The Daily Cup begins with a porcelain form produced in Dehua, one of China's historic centres of porcelain making.
Developed to THE YUNXI's specifications, its proportions, curves, drinking rim, and intended bamboo coverage are considered together.
The interior and drinking edge remain smoothly glazed, while the exterior provides a fixed form around which the bamboo is woven.
Porcelain gives the object its shape. The weave must be made to follow it.
BAMBOO PREPARATION
Before the weave.
The work begins long before the first strand touches porcelain.
In traditional porcelain-body bamboo weaving, preparing the bamboo can involve more than a dozen operations—from selecting and splitting the material to refining its layers and drawing it into fine, even strands.
Each stage matters. The bamboo must be narrow enough to follow the form, consistent enough to create a close weave, and flexible enough to be guided by hand.
By the time weaving begins, much of the skilled work has already taken place.
HAND WEAVING
Woven Around the Porcelain.
The porcelain is already a finished, fixed form when weaving begins.
As the bamboo follows the cup's changing curves, the maker adjusts the direction, spacing, and tension of each strand by hand.
The work requires continuous judgment. Each adjustment affects how closely the weave follows the porcelain and how the next strands will sit.
What appears from a distance as a continuous pattern is built through countless small, deliberate movements.
The result is not a printed motif or a removable sleeve, but a woven structure formed directly around the porcelain.
THE QUALITY STANDARD
What varies—and what does not
Finishing matters as much as weaving.
Strand ends and transitions are carefully completed, while the woven surface, contact points, and overall fit are examined.
Natural differences in bamboo tone, grain, and handwoven detail may remain visible. They belong to the character of the material.
Loose weaving, uncomfortable edges, unstable fitting, or damaged porcelain do not.
The aim is not to erase every trace of handwork, but to preserve its character while maintaining the standards expected of an object made for regular use.
A Craft Practiced Today.
FROM CRAFT TO DAILY USE
Made for Everyday Life.
The Daily Cup brings a traditional craft into a contemporary, everyday form.
Porcelain provides the familiar surface of a drinking vessel, while handwoven bamboo gives its exterior a distinct material character.
Behind that simple form lies a long sequence of preparation, weaving, and finishing.
A craft carried through generations, made to be part of daily life.