LIAO HONGBIAO(1936 – 2025)
Liao Hongbiao, born in 1936 in Shiwan, Guangdong Province, came from a family with a long tradition in ceramic art. His father, Liao Zuomin, was a craftsman known for ceramic human figures placed under miniature bonsai trees. Liao Hongbiao shared this love for pottery from childhood.
Upon graduation from primary school at 15, he began learning from his father. After 1958, Liao attended the Training Institution of Guangdong Ceramic Technology and the Central Academy of Arts and Design (now the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University), expanding his cultural and theoretical background, learning new techniques, and broadening his artistic vision. Th is educat i o n provided a solid foundation for his future development. He later studied under the renowned ceramic artist Liu Chuan and received his dedicated guidance. Liao’s work was strongly influenced by Huang Bing, Pan Yushu, and other earlier masters, as well as his teacher, Liu Chuan.
In 1993, he was granted the title of ‘Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts’. His works focus primarily on human figures, particularly old men and Arhats. Liao Hongbiao’s a r t re v e a l s a de v o t i o n to traditional techniques while also being innovative and refined. His human figures are characterised by unique skeletal structures, compactness, and charm.