The sunflower wanderer
01Cat-shaped cup · A garden carried along
03 / THE STORY OF HOLLOW VALLEY
A little room
to be free.
It began with a bowl for a cat.
And grew into a world of our own.
Since 2025
2023 · THE FIRST LITTLE BOWL
Finding a world in clay.
In 2023, while studying for my master’s degree at art school in London, I visited a local pottery studio to make a food bowl for my little companion, a cat named Yezi. I also shared my life with another cat and an exuberant little dog named Kaka.
I found ceramics fascinating. Once fired, clay seemed almost timeless: it would not decay or lose its colour. Yet it was also fragile, easily broken by a careless moment. That very fragility invites us to treasure it and care for it. Perhaps being cherished is its own kind of permanence.
Most of all, I loved how much clay could become. With it, I could create a world that was free.
AN IMAGINARY PLACE TO BELONG
Welcome to the valley.
I began to imagine that world: a valley filled with towering plants, varied landscapes and countless animal companions. A place with room for every curious idea. Mountains and sea would surround it, and a little train would bring you straight in. Somewhere you could feel completely safe.
I called it Hollow Valley — 空空山谷.
“Hollow” could mean the lovely feeling of letting your mind go quiet, or a space that keeps opening out. Above all, it stood for a kind of freedom and companionship without rules or judgement. That feeling became the starting point for everything I made.
2025 · STORIES BEGIN TO TRAVEL
The cats find their way.
In 2025, I began sharing my “Bouncy Cat Cups — World Travels” series on Xiaohongshu. The response was wonderful, and I spent a whole year making custom pieces. Looking back, though, I felt I had not yet brought the Hollow Valley in my imagination fully to life.
2026 · MAKING SPACE FOR THE VALLEY
Coming home to the idea.
In 2026, I renovated my studio, experimented, organised my ideas, and decided to give this brand the care and attention it deserved.
The world can be noisy, and everyday life can feel rushed and anxious. I wanted to bring objects and stories into ordinary days: small encounters with beauty that make us feel a little more at ease.
Perhaps one day we will discover that life’s final task is simply to relax in Hollow Valley, free to be ourselves, with a cup of coffee.
Be free with you
in Hollow Valley.
My friend, that is the idea at the heart of this brand.