Every brand begins with an intention.

For Zenova, that intention was born from the childhood memories of a girl.

As a child, her grandfather would often guide her tiny hands through the delicate cuts of paper art. He made a living crafting lanterns, and in the interplay of light and shadow, she first felt the power of traditional craftsmanship. Each time he took her along to cultural exhibitions, a silent yet profound heritage quietly took root in her heart.

Even in primary school, she and her grandfather continued their bond through handwritten letters, each carrying the warmth of an older era. Sensitive to words, she often found stillness and strength in writing. On mornings when she accompanied her grandfather for tea, he would bury himself in the newspaper while she sat beside him sketching. These everyday moments, though ordinary, became her most vivid memories of companionship. Though he was a man of few words, he always carried a quiet pride in her growth. For her, every letter and drawing was not only a continuation of family ties but also a deep dialogue with tradition.

In secondary school, she naturally chose Chinese history and literature, eager to trace the roots of culture and capture ideas through words. She was never the top student — rote memorization felt like torture — but her passion lay in self-expression. Hidden between textbooks, she devoured novels: Mo Yan’s Frog, the science fiction of Ni Kuang, the romances of Yi Shu. Later, in her rebellious years, she opened Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged, discovering life’s absurdity and depth.

These books, though not always the classics, opened a philosophical doorway for her youth. She came to realize that philosophy was not a matter of jargon, but a natural reflection that grows in everyday life. In essay classes, her originality always made her stand out. She did not know then that this “unwillingness to follow convention, yet insistence on expressing herself” was already laying the foundation for creating her own brand.

Her grandfather’s passing, however, struck her deeply. She learned that the greatest lesson in life may be separation. The grief lingers, surfacing with each memory. It was through this loss that she came to cherish the importance of heritage — if culture and memory cannot be passed on, they vanish with life itself. Every detail of daily life, every simple object, could spark her reflections and lead her toward deeper philosophical insights.

Her first journey began with Orca Skincare, telling cross-cultural stories through the orca’s migration. With Zenova, she returned to the East, drawing from the Tao Te Ching: “Mystery upon mystery, the gateway to all wonders.” She turned skin care into philosophy, transforming her life’s imprints into the soul of the brand.

At Zenova, she does not merely tell stories of culture — she translates culture into answers for the skin. Each product embodies the wisdom of Eastern botanicals — honeysuckle, dandelion, salvia, panax notoginseng, peach kernel, and more — refined through modern scientific validation, forming formulas that truly cleanse, repair, and nourish. To her, skin care is not a fleeting disguise, but a slow, mindful cultivation — restoring the skin to its most authentic balance.

As she grew older, she realized that many Eastern traditions face decline, teetering on the edge of being forgotten. Thus, she sees Zenova as a path: weaving diverse Eastern cultures into skin care, so that in a simple moment of care, people not only nurture their skin but also absorb the essence of heritage. With time and intention, they touch the profound mysteries of the East.

To her, Zenova is like a singer’s defining masterpiece. It is not just a creation, but proof of her existence in this world.

Through Zenova, she hopes every “grandfather” who once carried the weight of tradition may live on in memory, so that culture does not fade, but continues to shine in the smallest moments of everyday life.

And all of this traces back to that very first thought.

Whether in building a brand or walking through life, she always reminds herself:

Whatever you do, never forget your original intention. Hold onto the innocence you began with.