Interview / Tan Xiaozheng (BACKWALL Editor-in-Chief)
Interviewee / Yanze Xiong (Artist & Designer)
⸻
🖼️ From London Back to Tradition
Yanze Xiong’s studio in Chengdu feels quiet and disciplined — but beneath that calm, there’s a kind of fiery order.
He graduated from the University of the Arts London and the Royal College of Art, where he studied under British design legend Neville Brody.
During his eight years in the UK, he worked on design projects for Alexander McQueen, the British Library, and the V&A Museum, and even collaborated with artist Xu Bing.
But it was his deep connection to Chinese culture that pulled him back home.
After returning, he taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and collaborated with brands like Wuliangye and Xijiu, bringing traditional aesthetics into contemporary design.
“What I really care about,” he says,
“is how our generation can redefine what ‘Chinese aesthetics’ means — in our own language.”
⸻
🌸 “Miaohua”: A Bloom Between Cultures and the Mind
“Miaohua” — literally “wonderful flower” — is the series Xiong has been developing for years.
It blends Buddhist motifs, mandalas, and sacred geometry, creating imagery that feels both ancient and cosmic.
“‘Miao’ in Daoist philosophy means harmony — every dimension in balance.
‘Hua’ means both flower and flourishing life.
To me, Miaohua represents a state of inner abundance.”
That “abundance,” he explains, isn’t just an artist’s idea — it’s something everyone experiences when they stop rushing to define themselves and allow life to grow in its own rhythm.
⸻
✨ Creation as Realignment
Many of Xiong’s works were made outdoors — in the mountains, forests, or while camping.
“Painting helps me realign myself,” he says. “Every piece is like calibrating the compass of who I am.”
For him, art is an exchange of energy with the world.
“In a fast-paced society, we’re constantly defined by outside voices.
Creating slows me down. It helps me feel my own rhythm again.”
He believes everyone needs their own kind of “creative time” — not necessarily painting, but something that allows you to reconnect with yourself: walking, writing, cooking, or simply thinking in silence.
⸻
🪷 When Art Enters Daily Life
“Miaohua” isn’t just an art series — it has also grown into a lifestyle brand called Jipin.
“I wanted art to return to daily life — not just hang on museum walls.”
He applies the “Miaohua” visual language to scarves, cups, and homeware — turning art into something you can actually use.
It’s his quiet way of challenging the distance between contemporary art and ordinary people.
True beauty, he says, isn’t about grand concepts — it’s about what we can live with, touch, and feel every day.
⸻
🧭 Rethinking “Sharing”
Xiong used to be a minor internet celebrity, with over 100,000 followers on Weibo.
Then, one day, he deleted everything.
“Back then, I cared too much about what others thought.
Now I think sharing shouldn’t be about exposure — it’s about preserving something worth remembering.”
In an age obsessed with visibility, his silence feels almost radical.
He’s not retreating — he’s returning to the starting point: creation itself.
⸻
💡 A Word for Young Creators
“Don’t let yourself be defined too early.
The future won’t belong to single-skill specialists — it’ll belong to people who can think across disciplines and respond to real problems.”
He sees design and creation as tools for understanding life itself.
“Creating isn’t about escaping reality — it’s about facing it with more clarity and empathy.”
⸻
🌏 Closing Thoughts
On the surface, Miaohua is a flower — but for Xiong, it’s a metaphor.
It’s what happens when life frees itself from definition and begins to grow again.
Maybe each of us, in our own way, is also waiting for that quiet, personal bloom — our own Miaohua.