Piyaw is a member of the Amis tribe, living in Taibalang Village in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan. She began to create pottery in 1994 as a hobby. Then, in 2002, she studied how to make pottery beads. Traditionally, Amis made ornaments using natural, local materials, and even from leftover clay from making everyday ceramic objects. But, there was no purposeful research and development. Today, Piyaw works to combine her pottery beads with smaller, colored beads to create unique accessories and wall hangings.