Before product designer Zhuoyu Hou starts her daily work at the porcelain manufactory, she brews a pot of hot tea. This little tea ceremony is her connection to her home country China and brings her inner peace and energy for the day.

Growing up in a small village in southern China, Zhuoyu Hou was surrounded by pristine forests, mandarin trees and rivers. Everyday objects and toys were also handmade by the villagers from natural materials such as bamboo, wood or clay. This time close to nature influenced Zhuoyu Hou and awakened her passion for craftsmanship.

The now 30-year-old artist became enthusiastic about drawing and creative design with clay at an early age. She deepened her skills with drawing lessons and by attending a high school with an artistic focus. With her commitment, Zhuoyu Hou fulfilled her dream - she studied industrial design at one of the best art universities in China, the China Academy of Art in Shanghai. As her life progressed, her interest in Bauhaus design brought her to Germany. There she was offered the opportunity to study ceramics and glass design at the Burg Giebichenstein Art Academy near Halle. During her studies, she completed an internship at the MEISSEN porcelain manufactory. Together with the manufactory, Zhuoyu Hou realised her graduation project for her master's thesis. The idea that her product developments could wear the world-famous blue Crossed Swords excited her so much that Zhuoyu Hou has now been working as a product designer here at the Meissen porcelain manufactory since 2016. With her nature-loving personality and her aim to combine beauty with the functional use of the objects, she is an enrichment for the traditional and open-minded manufactory.