Huawen Xu: A Quiet Flame

Huawen Xu is a painter, designer, my former classmate, and a friend I’ve known for nearly thirty years. Through all these years, he seems unchanged in the best possible way—always calm, always devoted to his art, and always living life with a quiet, genuine appreciation. He creates without noise, without haste, and without the need to follow anyone else’s rhythm. In many ways, he embodies a rare artistic temperament that feels increasingly precious today.

One of my earliest memories of him comes from our teenage years. He once saw a group of artists sketching with ballpoint pens—highly realistic drawings created stroke by stroke. He was amazed but also slightly competitive. Without saying much, he borrowed a pen, sat down, and began drawing his own sketch.

His focus was absolute. His determination was unmistakable. Even back then, you could sense the persistence that would later define his life as an artist.

Soon after, he completed a series of realistic sketches using nothing but ballpoint strokes—precise, layered, and full of patience. Looking back, that might have been the moment when I realized he would never stop creating.

In his twenties, he became a designer and took part in the creation of many porcelain pieces. Some of these designs were transformed into festive porcelain collections—New Year’s sets, wedding gifts, Christmas tableware and more.

They appeared in countless homes, on dining tables filled with celebration and warmth. A porcelain plate or cup may seem small, but when it is present in a family’s most meaningful moments, it becomes an object of joy.

Maybe you, too, remember a particular year when a Christmas porcelain set caught your attention. It’s possible that one of those pieces was designed by him.

When he entered his thirties, he began exploring something more personal: combining porcelain with lacquer, merging two traditional materials into one contemporary tea ware form.

This was not simply a stylistic experiment; it required deep understanding of clay, glaze, lacquer, structure, and the cultural context of tea. He brought his designer’s sensibility, his painter’s eye, and his appreciation for tea culture into this new body of work.

The result was a series of tea vessels that feel calm, sculptural, and quietly expressive—the kind of pieces that reward long and gentle attention.

What I admire most is that he never pursued trends. Every artistic shift he made came from sincere curiosity, from asking questions like:

How else can porcelain speak? What new stories can tea ware tell?

His approach is slow, thoughtful, and deeply human.

Even today, he continues to draw, design, paint, and create tea ware. His works aren’t loud, but they last. They don’t chase the market, but they stay with you. They represent the kind of beauty that grows over time.

Introducing him on best ceramics (https://bestceramics.cn) feels natural, because he represents the values we care about—authentic creation, sincere craftsmanship, meaningful objects, and a life lived with intention.

People like him remind us why handmade objects matter, why tea ware carries emotion, and why Dehua Porcelain and other traditional crafts continue to inspire modern makers.

So, what do you think of Huawen Xu’s paintings?

And how do you feel about his porcelain and lacquer tea wares?