Celadon has been widely used in Longquan, where Ye spent many a childhood summer vacation at his grandparents' place.

"The stretchy green mountain and farmlands leapt into my eyes when I opened the window in the morning," he says.

"It was just close to beauty of the glaze color of celadon."

Across the river, he often saw wisps of smoke rise from the chimney of the ceramic plant where his father worked.

Ye played with his friends at the plant sometimes, and the scene where adults were working on the clay was also etched on his mind.

"The furnace was huge and could take in hundreds of bottles and plates," he recalls.