Chaozhou · Ceramic artist
Yujian Cai
蔡煜坚Ceramic Artist
Currently based in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Born in 1992 in Leping, Jiangxi Province.
Graduated in 2013 from Jingdezhen Ceramic University, majoring in Ceramic Design. Creating tea wares since 2013.
Selected solo exhibitions
- “Plants as Glaze”
Youlian Studio, Shanghai - “Returning Light into the Deep Forest”
Youlian Studio, Shanghai - “Letting Arrival Happen”
Banleng, Xixi, Hangzhou - “Green in Subtle Variations”
Tea Road, Shanghai
The practice
Time held in material
Yujian Cai’s practice is grounded in time, attention, and lived experience. Working with plant ash glazes and tea vessels, the process unfolds where mineral, heat, atmosphere, and human judgment meet.
Alongside his wife, ceramic artist Liu Xiaoyan, Yujian works to introduce Chaozhou tea culture to younger audiences in China and beyond. Their studio makes teapots specifically for Chaozhou Gongfu tea, connecting their ceramic practice with the region’s way of preparing and sharing tea.
The firing
Form & atmosphere
Each firing is singular. Colors drift through layered greys, blue greens, purples, and quiet opalescence, allowing chance to remain visible while form and use stay closely connected.
Chaozhou tea culture
Local clay, everyday tea
The studio works with local Chaozhou Zhuni, or vermillion clay, and Tianni, or field clay. These materials form part of a practice centred on teapots made for Chaozhou Gongfu tea.
Pastleaf’s film introduces Yujian and Liu Xiaoyan as part of a younger generation carrying this local craft forward.
Watch the interview with Yujian Cai and Liu Xiaoyan · Pastleaf
Inside the studio
Works & details
By Yujian Cai
