The Teacher and the Student

This ring, New Generation, which you're exhibiting at Christie's, is the first example of its use, right?

Yes. I give this form with the thought that there's energy inside, expanding almost to the point of exploding. It almost looks a bit sci-fi, or like the muscles or cartilage of a body. And that form symbolizes the strength of the porcelain. I like scientific things and sci-fi technology a lot. And science explores what the eye cannot see, so this has been a longtime pursuit of mine. This one is called New Generation and the other in the pair is called Star Light Ballet. The pink one has dancers.

What's your favorite period in terms of Chinese dynasties and aesthetic inspiration?

I think every dynasty left behind something that inspired people.

Some periods encouraged and inspired others to act upon them. For example, Laozi has a book named Daode Jing. There are only a few words in it, but it's been an inspiration to a lot of people; it's like a reference for wisdom. And then there's (Chinese philosopher) Zhuangzi from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) and the Buddhist statue, which people looked up to for wisdom as well. And then there's the Ming Emperor... I think they were all an inspiration. Over the 5,000 years of Chinese culture and history, one dynasty happened after another, one culture was passed down and got mixed - so eventually they've all appeared in our daily lives, if only in some small way.