Tien-chao Liao's first piece as a stone sculptor was a teapot. In over thirty years of crafting, he has made more than a thousand teapots in countless styles. Yet, Liao feels that he would not be happy if in his whole life he only ever tried to perfect one form. So he has gradually shifted his focus from the teapot to other themes. He says, "Life is short, and I am glad that I can leave my mark in a solid place, which is stone."