Makers

Every YUNSILVER piece is made by hand, by named artisans working within long family and regional traditions across Yunnan.

Yang Sheng and a visitor presenting a plaque for a Dali silverware craft training centre

Yang Sheng

Silver ornament forging, Dali, Yunnan.

A Bai silversmith from Dali, Yunnan, and a Dali-prefecture-level inheritor of the national intangible-heritage silver ornament forging technique. Trained under master Mu Binglin, he developed his own gold-and-silver inlay technique and founded the Heqing Yangyi Silver House.

Tan Zhiping demonstrating enamel silverware craftsmanship

Tan Zhiping

Enamel silverware, Yongsheng.

An enamel silverware craftsman from Yongsheng, Yunnan, trained from age fourteen within a multi-generation silversmithing family. He works across enamel and pure-silver techniques, continuing a craft passed down through his family line.

Dong Zhonghao working on a large silver vessel

Dong Zhonghao

Silver and copper forging, Xinhua Village, Heqing.

A provincial-level representative inheritor of the national intangible-heritage Heqing silverware forging technique. Apprenticed at seventeen, he worked across Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet making Buddhist statues and temple ornaments, blending Han, Tibetan and Bai motifs. His sons now carry on the family workshop.

Cun Jinwen examining a finished gold-inlaid silver piece

Cun Jinwen

Silver kettle craftsmanship, Xinhua Village, Heqing.

A Bai silversmithing heritage inheritor from Xinhua Village’s Cun family lineage, trained under his uncle Dong Zhonghao and elder brother Cun Wenhui. He founded the Cunxin handmade silver kettle brand in 2008 and later established Shoulu Workshop, where he now trains more than twenty apprentices.

People at work

Alongside names and biographies, the workshop itself should remain visible. These two photographs keep the bench, tools and gestures in view; identity and public-use rights remain subject to final verification.

An artisan shaping metal at a workshop bench

Shaping at the bench
Tools, forms and the pressure of the hand determine the final shape of the silver.

An artisan using a hammer for detailed metalwork

Hammering the detail
A close view of the gesture shows how texture is built into the surface, strike by strike.

Yang Sheng and Mr Jiang in the workshop

Discussing a piece and confirming its details together beside the workbench is part of the journey from an idea to a finished silver object.

Yang Sheng and Mr Jiang beside the workshop bench

A workshop in motion

Workshop, working scene and hands · 18 seconds

From the space around the workbench to the movements of the hands, the workshop comes into view.

More makers will join this page as new pieces and partnerships are introduced.