It has been sixteen years since I moved to the United States.
As I grow older and stopped caring all the small things I used to worry, translating one culture to another and uniting them within my limited vocabulary became my hobby. Then I decided to take this approach to ceramics. How can I create ceramic work that unite us, connect us, and serve us all? Can I create craftwork that offers hope to people? Hopefully and possibly in a subtle, personal way?
This series is my quiet resistance against the current political situation in our time, of isolation and confrontation. Seems like we can use more of those reminders about how similar we are now than ever by exchanging stories and using small conversations instead of abstract fear and anger.
Thus my Genuine Fake China series come with two sides: one with Chinese/Japanese proverb, another with English equivalent (or a saying that has the same nuance). It is my attempt to construct a bridge over the gap and start conversations about so many profound ideas we share even in different languages and cultures. I hope this series of work will be a good reminder to everyone that no matter where ideas originated, things that appeal to us will become universal eventually, if they have a good use. So please use my teapot to serve a cup of green tea, maybe from Starbucks.
“In Your Dream” sake set, Genuine Fake China series, 2011
“In your dream”
“百年河清” Ideogram: “It takes a hundred years for a river to be clean”
Meaning: you are wasting time by waiting for something that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The saying originated from China, referring to the Yellow river, which is famous for its muddy yellow color.
“Total Rip-off” teapot, Genuine Fake China series, 2010
“Total rip-off”
“移花接木” Ideogram: “Moving flowers and grafting branches”
Meaning: Presenting somebody else’s work as original by covering the surface with mere but fancy details.
“Village expert” teapot, Genuine Fake China series, 2010
“伝不習可” Ideogram: “Can you teach what you didn’t learn?”
Meaning: The blind leading blind.
“Second Amendment” urn, Genuine Fake China series, 2011
“驕龍玩珠” Ideogram: “Arrogant dragon fumbles his treasure”
Meaning: Arrogance blinds people and keeps them away from learning a proper usage of power.
“Same old” teapot, Genuine Fake China series, 2010
“Same old, same old”
“朝三暮四” Ideogram: “Three in the morning, four in the evening”
Story: There was a person who owned a bunch of monkeys. When he decided to cutting down the meals portions (originally five in the morning, five in the evening), he told the monkeys that he was planning to give the meal four in the morning, three in 
the evening. The monkeys got very upset, complained that’s not enough. Then the master promised the monkeys that he will compromise to “three in the morning, four in the evening”, all the monkeys agreed that they negotiated very well and the compromise is fair and satisfying. Now what if you replace the master with a governor and the monkeys with peasants?
The expression is used to describe the same old dirty tricks in politics.
“Pants on fire” teapot, Genuine Fake China series, 2011
“亀毛兎角” Ideogram: “Hairy turtles and antlered rabbits”
Meaning: example of things totally beyond truth and imaginable, just like jackaloop.
“Frenemy” sake flask, Genuine Fake China series, 2011
“馬々虎々” Ideogram: “Horse horse, tiger tiger”
Meaning: “It may be a horse, it may be a tiger”
Horse is a man’s best friend, reliable and useful, trustworthy and on your side. Tiger is fierce enemies, who will eat you alive, never show your back.
The expression is used to describe a person that you cannot tell whether s/he is a friend or foe, or when s/he switches to the other one. Or your dire situation surrounded by murky people that you don’t want to declare your position for your own safety. Either case, nobody is concrete being a friend or foe, just like those reality shows.
“Wedding Gift (chamber pot)”, 2010
One time, I was telling people how often they ask me to make an ash box but never a wedding gift, maybe they can smell that I am an angel of death. Then one girl told me to start making a wedding gift for her though she is not planning to get married with any one specific at that time. We agreed that this will be a good challenge for both of us to nail someone/something right for us.
