The initial inspiration for Tales came from the painted tiles and bricks of the Han Dynasty. The brand's parent firm, Artilize, also acquires rigts to reproduce work by more modern artists.For example, a painting by Qi Baishi has been reproduced on chinaware and teaware. (photo on this page by Chuang Kung-ju)

A lot of the cultural and creative firms in Taiwan, though excelling at product design, aren't very good at manufacturing or marketing. As a result, there are a lot of products out there that have gotten critical acclaim but have never really found their market niche. But "Tales," a brand of decorative ceramic wall tiles, is an exception.

Ten years ago, Artilize Worldwide was just another micro-company launched with a mere US$30,000 in capital. But by combining acute sensitivity to the market with speed and dexterity, they have taken the Tales brand into the US and European markets, today having more than 1000 sales points in over 30 countries. In 2008, they entered the mainland-China market as well. This is one cultural and creative company that really stands out from the crowd.

The story of the Tales brand in mainland China reads like a fairy tale.

Last year, PRC president Hu Jintao paid a visit to the Bahaoqiao industrial park for creative industries in Shanghai. He was especially impressed by the artistically decorative wall tiles he saw on display, and immediately ordered that they be exhibited and sold as souvenirs at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai.

"We didn't meet the original criteria to be allowed to attend the Expo as a manufacturer of expo-licensed products," explains Artilize CEO Tony Tseng. But Hu's admiration was enough to get them direct entry into the most coveted site for all souvenir and gift manufacturers, the China Pavilion.

Basking in the reflected glare of Hu's spotlight, Artilize's visibility sharply increased. In late 2010 they were invited to design gift and souvenir products for the Guangzhou Asian Games. They also started doing big business with companies like China Tobacco.