When 48 glaze test tiles shattered in the kiln during his 103rd trial, Li Yanxun clutched a mineral fragment his young daughter had picked up and smiled. The willow-green shard was set to resurrect the once-lost color spectrum of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

In 2019, Li declared war on Tang Sancai tradition – raising kiln temperatures by 300 degrees Celsius to transform fragile lead-based glazes into sturdy porcelain bodies; cracking the so-called pink problem by substituting rare earth elements for gold to achieve a carmine hue; and turning delicate Tang Sancai ceramics into durable pieces like countertops and light fixtures.

Through the alchemy of his 1,200 degrees Celsius kiln fire, Li Yanxun completed a genetic rewrite of Tang Sancai – changing its course forever.