Ximao (Derek) Miao raised up in China and received his BA degree, majoring in Metals Art from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, and MFA degree in Jewelry and Metal Arts at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. He has been working both as an artist and freelance jewelry designer for the last decade, owning a personal studio in Bay Area, CA.

His work is an interpretation of the natural environment that integrated his childhood memories of a small village in central China and life experience in the States, and suggests a meditative process by using natural materials such as wood, clay and metals.

He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, including Belgium, China, Japan and the States and received awards both in China and the States, including a special award for East-West Integration in 2007 HRD Awards–Diamond Jewellery Competition. His work has been included in various categories and books, including Chinese Contemporary Jewelry Design, published by Schiffer Publishing in PA, and collected by different private collectors.