Sourced in Yunnan, built for ceremony
This screen came to us through Sandry Law, our Head of Procurement, who found it at a small family-run workshop on the outskirts of Kunming. The craftsman, Mr. He, has been making folding screens for three decades — originally for local temples, now for tea rooms and private studies.
The frame is northern elm (yú mù), sourced from sustainably managed forests in Yunnan’s highlands. The wood is kiln-dried for six weeks, then hand-sanded and joined with traditional double-tenon hinges — no nails, just tight, quiet joinery. The linen panels are woven in a nearby village where flax has been grown for generations. Unbleached and unbacked, they allow light to pass while still offering a deeper opacity than rice paper.
Sandry chose this screen because it solves a common problem in home tea spaces: marking a ceremonial boundary without building a wall. Its weight — nearly ten kilos — means it stays put, even on stone floors. In use, it creates a corner that feels instantly intentional, whether you’re kneeling with a gaiwan or sharing a pot with a friend. Every piece is numbered and dated on the bottom rail.