Collecting Chinese craft is not like collecting Western art. The objects are not made for display — they are made for use. This creates a different kind of collection: one that lives on your table, not on your wall.
Start with what you use. The best collection is one that is in daily rotation. If you drink tea every day, start with a master's cup. If you arrange flowers, start with a master's vessel. The object should enter your life through a ritual you already practice.
Know the maker. In Chinese craft, the maker matters more than the brand. Learn the names of the masters in each craft: who works in Longquan, who works in Jingdezhen, who works in Fuzhou. A piece signed by a recognised master will hold its value; a piece by an unknown maker, no matter how beautiful, will not.
Buy from the edition, not from the surplus. Masterworks are made in limited editions. Ask for the edition number: 3/20 is more valuable than 18/20. Early numbers are typically kept by the maker or sold to serious collectors.
Use it, don't store it. The biggest mistake new collectors make is putting objects behind glass. A celadon bowl that is used daily will develop a richer patina than one that is stored. The crackle pattern in the glaze deepens with use. The lacquer surface becomes more luminous. Use is not damage — it is the completion of the making process.
Document your collection. Keep records: when you bought each piece, from whom, for how much, and where it lives in your home. The JIHE Book has blank pages at the end for this purpose. A documented collection is worth more than an undocumented one — to you, to your heirs, and to the market.
Think in decades, not seasons. Chinese craft is not a speculative market. Prices rise slowly, driven by the maker's reputation and the scarcity of the work. If you buy a piece today and try to sell it in a year, you will likely lose money. If you hold it for ten years, use it daily, and keep the documentation, you will likely see appreciation — and you will have had the pleasure of living with it.