Creating tradition with a glaze of modernity

During his study in Jingdezhen, Ye developed many innovative celadon works, such as the Forest of Ceramic Language, which tried to express the interweaving of humanity and nature.

Ye put together wood and ceramics and developed them into an English afternoon tea set.

The modest and flexible black walnut and elegant and rigid blue and white ceramic were used as the main materials of the tea set and coexisted in harmony through modern technique.

He didn't go into tedious carving but only highlighted the simple and clear exterior lines, with an aim of sending the breath of nature to the fingertips of the tea set users.

His work won the silver prize at the 11th China Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2018.

Ye went back to Longquan right after he graduated from the Jingdezhen university in 2019.

In most cases, his day runs like clockworks.

He deals with the whole shooting match, including clay molding and firing and glaze concoction.

"It's at least eight-hour work a day that is filled with both beautiful and painful moments," Ye says.

He is alone at work most of the time, and steps are complex and each one calls for intense concentration.

For example, when looking for clay, he needs to find the right type in the vast mountains, and then pulverize, wash and filter them.

All the trouble is worth it once the celadon turns out beautifully after the baptism of fire, about 1,300 C, he says.

However, things are in flux until the last moment.