Why Did I Choose to Start My Own Business?

To be honest, I never really aspired to start a business. I preferred the stability of having a job. However, life has its way of steering you onto unexpected paths. In 2017, I returned to my hometown, Dehua, due to family circumstances, spending nearly a year there with my parents. That year became a turning point, giving me the chance to rediscover my roots and ultimately inspiring my entrepreneurial journey.

Dehua, famously known as the “Porcelain Capital,” holds 17 years of memories for me. As a child, my impression of this small town revolved around the fun of picking up ceramic pieces scattered everywhere. In Dehua, buying ceramics was rare—most families had members working in the porcelain industry. Our ceramics came as factory perks, slightly flawed pieces, or items brought home by relatives. I remember vividly how even a pinhead-sized glaze defect could classify a plate as a reject, reflecting the uncompromising pursuit of quality.

During high school vacations, I worked in ceramic factories, encountering delicate export ceramics and exquisite porcelain sculptures. Even then, I knew Dehua’s ceramics had been traded overseas since the Tang and Song dynasties. There’s a legend about the origin of “China”: when Marco Polo’s fleet encountered Dehua’s porcelain at Quanzhou Port, they asked the local porters, “What’s this?” Mistaking the question for the basket carrying the porcelain, the porter replied in the Minnan dialect, “C-h-i-n-a” (菜篮, meaning vegetable basket). Thus, “China” was born.

Pictures From Dehua Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau

This is a series of photos documenting an event organized by the Dehua County government to retrace the ancient porcelain trade route. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the people of Dehua carried porcelain along these paths to Quanzhou Port, where it was exported to Europe via the Maritime Silk Road.

Fragments of broken porcelain discovered along the route

Pictures From Dehua Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

Despite Dehua’s rich heritage, I had never thought of entering the porcelain business. I was content being a consumer, occasionally buying from friends to maintain social ties. But in 2017, I noticed fascinating changes in my hometown: a mix of local dialects and foreign accents, a growing diversity of products, and the absence of the once ubiquitous ceramic scraps on the streets.

It was also during this time that I discovered the art of Kintsugi. I began repairing Ming and Qing dynasty tea wares, realizing that ancient craftsmen were also artistic masters. Their meticulous sculpting and attention to detail, paired with a sense of form and balance, deeply inspired me. I decided to promote this traditional craft, though I wasn’t sure where to begin.

By 2019, I understood that action was more important than planning. I started with tea wares, believing that Dehua’s white porcelain is among the best ceramics in the world. With a simple yet bold name, Best Ceramics, I launched a tea ware website. For someone who rarely drinks tea, this was an audacious move.

Navigating e-commerce and social media was a steep learning curve. But with a passion for learning—and more importantly, with your support over the past five years—I’ve found the motivation to keep going. In the future, I hope to do even better and bring you more of the finest ceramics from Dehua.