Process notes by Psycho Liu, ceramic artist behind the Elemental Linglong Porcelain Cup series.
Light is not only something that falls across this cup. It is part of the material itself.
When I began developing this series, I wanted to create a porcelain object that could reveal two different appearances. Under ordinary room light, it would feel quiet, floral, and refined. When held toward a window or lamp, a hidden elemental motif would gradually emerge through the porcelain.
The result is a translucent Linglong porcelain cup that sits somewhere between a functional tea object, a ceramic experiment, and a collectible piece of visual storytelling.
Why I Chose Linglong Porcelain
Porcelain is broadly understood as a high-fired, vitrified ceramic capable of achieving a pale and sometimes translucent body. The material itself is what makes this project possible. The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides a useful introduction to the qualities of high-fired porcelain.
Traditional Linglong porcelain is often recognized by its small translucent windows. Historical examples were produced by creating openings in the soft porcelain body, filling them with clear glaze, and firing the piece so that light could pass through the finished pattern. A historical example and explanation can be found in the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of Chinese Linglong porcelain.
For this series, I wanted to preserve the idea of a pattern revealed by light while translating it into a contemporary elemental form. Instead of treating the translucent section as a repeating rice-grain pattern, the light window becomes part of the main visual identity of the cup.
Designing a Symbol That Waits for Light
The visual starting point came from the elemental language familiar to Genshin Impact players, but I did not want the final object to depend on a large printed character illustration.
The cup needed to feel like porcelain first.
The scale and placement of the translucent motif therefore had to be decided before the decorative surface was complete. If the surrounding porcelain is visually too heavy, the light effect becomes weak. If the translucent area dominates the entire object, the sense of discovery disappears.
Different editions approach this balance differently.
On the mint-green Anemo edition, the hand-worked floral surface intentionally continues across the elemental motif. Under normal lighting, the symbol remains subtle and partially concealed. When the cup is backlit, the translucent Anemo form becomes much clearer.
The purple Anemo edition leaves the motif more visually open, allowing it to appear more immediately. The Geo edition uses contrasting floral colors to create a stronger relationship between the porcelain body, the decorative layer, and the hidden light.
High-Firing the Porcelain at 1320°C
The porcelain body for this series is high-fired at approximately 1320°C.
For me, this stage is inseparable from Jingdezhen and its long history of high-temperature porcelain production. Often described as China’s “Porcelain Capital,” Jingdezhen has developed around ceramic production for more than 1,700 years. Generations of makers have built a deep understanding of porcelain bodies, glazes, kiln atmosphere, temperature control, and the small changes that occur during firing. UNESCO recognizes Jingdezhen as one of China’s most important porcelain-producing centres and a major city of crafts and folk art.
At 1320°C, the piece enters the firing range associated with hard-paste porcelain. The body gradually becomes dense and vitrified, giving the finished cup its strength, pale clarity, and capacity to transmit light. The Victoria and Albert Museum notes that hard-paste porcelain is generally fired between 1200°C and 1450°C. For this series, firing at approximately 1320°C produces the material qualities needed for the Linglong motif to respond clearly to backlighting.
This is also one of the least forgiving stages of the process.
The cup changes inside the kiln. The porcelain body shrinks, the glaze moves, and edges that appeared precise before firing can become softer afterward. The translucent motif must remain readable through these changes without weakening the overall structure of the cup.
Experience can guide the process, but it cannot completely control it. This is why the finished pieces cannot be judged only from their unfired appearance. The kiln always makes the final decision.
Minor variations in form, translucency, glaze depth, and surface are natural records of high-temperature firing rather than evidence of factory-perfect repetition. Each cup carries a slightly different relationship between porcelain, glaze, fire, and light.
Bahua: Drawing by Removing
After the main porcelain firing, I begin the colored decorative work.
The surface uses a traditional-inspired technique known as bahua—扒花—a sgraffito-like overglaze process in which a colored ground is applied and then worked by hand with a pointed tool.
Instead of adding every line with a brush, the floral pattern is created by carefully removing or scratching through parts of the colored layer. The process is closer to drawing by subtraction.
The pressure of the tool matters. A line that is too shallow can disappear after firing, while one that is too forceful can disturb the decorative surface. Repetition also needs to feel controlled without becoming mechanically uniform.
After the hand-worked decoration is complete, the cup receives a decorative firing at approximately 800°C. This lower firing bonds the overglaze color to the already high-fired porcelain while preserving colors that would not survive the original 1320°C firing.
Finishing the Rim With Platinum
Every cup in this series is finished with a platinum-painted rim.
I chose platinum because it catches light without overwhelming the translucent motif. It creates a quiet boundary around the top of the cup and connects the reflective surface of the metal with the light passing through the porcelain.
The platinum line is applied as a finishing detail rather than being part of the porcelain body itself. As with the bahua work, very small differences in thickness and continuity can remain from one piece to another.
Because the rim contains metallic decoration, the cup should not be placed in a microwave. Gentle hand washing with a soft, non-abrasive sponge is recommended.
Why Every Piece Is Slightly Different
A handmade or hand-finished porcelain piece records several separate stages: forming, drying, high firing, glazing, colored decoration, hand scratching, and metallic finishing.
Each stage introduces small decisions and small variations.
The spacing of a floral line may change slightly. One translucent motif may appear brighter under a particular angle of light. The platinum rim may reflect differently from another piece. These details are not intended to make the cup look unfinished. They are part of what allows each piece to retain evidence of the process behind it.
For me, that evidence is important. The cup should feel made, not merely manufactured.
From an Elemental Reference to a Porcelain Object
Although the design begins with an elemental reference familiar to game fans, my aim is for the finished cup to stand on its own as a ceramic object.
It should work in a tea setting, on a desk, in a display cabinet, or simply held toward a window to reveal what is normally hidden.
More photographs, available colors, and individual variations can be found in the Elemental Linglong Porcelain Cup collection.
Not just teaware – a conversation piece that pours liquid history
— Psycho Liu
About the Artist
Psycho Liu is a ceramic artist exploring how traditional Chinese porcelain techniques can carry contemporary visual language. The work focuses on translucency, surface, color, fire, and the small differences left behind by hand-finishing.