Our family has a history of moving around. First it was my Great-Grandparents abandoning their peaceful small town life to the city of Shanghai in China during the war. Then my Grandparents moved to the coldest region in China to build a new post-war life. Later, both of my parents left their birth places and settled in Beijing, where I spent 12 years of my childhood before flying all the way to the West Coast of America. Just when I thought this would be the place to grow old, I found myself back in Asia. I have been residing in Hong Kong with my husband and daughter for the past decade, and recently, a lovely chubby cat has been added to the family. In the back of my head, I secretly speculate that I may be somewhere new again in the next decade.

So my life has been filled with changes and adaptations, non-stop. It has been an exciting journey, until everything came to a stop in 2019 when the Covid-19 pandemic happened. Travelling stopped in Hong Kong, tourists disappeared, restaurants closed. The bustling city known for its colourful nightlife became uncomfortably quiet.

With more time at home, I had the opportunity to pick up an old love: ceramics. And it has stopped since then. I have always remembered the fun and excitement when I took a hand-built ceramic class in college. The process of kneading the clay, throwing then sculpting it into wonderful things that make our lives beautiful is still magical for me.  

So this is how Atelier JinJin is created, a place where I showcase my journey in making pottery, mainly wheel-thrown. With a degree in design and 15 years of experience in Product Development. Each piece is made with both functionality and aesthetics in mind. I want to create pieces that are meant to be touched and used often, communicating moments of joy through our hands and eyes.