In the elegant utensil display of Tongxin She Teahouse, the "Qixin" Tin-Inlaid Blue-and-White Figure Teapot Stand is like a miniature world of ancient charm. With a delicate diameter of 158mm, it bears the tranquil joy of years on the tea mat. It is a poetic collision of hand-painted blue-and-white porcelain and tin-inlay craftsmanship, and a vivid continuation of traditional elegant culture in contemporary tea affairs.
The core of the teapot stand is a hand-painted blue-and-white porcelain plate. The painter uses blue-and-white pigment with varying shades to lay out a scene full of earthly charm: willows are slender, the moon is hazy, ancients either invite each other with fans or walk slowly with baskets. Details of plants, flowers, rocks and paths are vividly presented within this small space. This hand-painted blue-and-white craftsmanship inherits the freehand charm of Ming and Qing porcelain paintings — the lines are as smooth as flowing clouds, the layers of rendering are distinct, and each stroke is a tribute from the craftsman to traditional aesthetics. The blue of the blue-and-white porcelain becomes more elegant on the white porcelain base, as if condensing the haziness of Jiangnan misty rain and the subtlety of ancient people's thoughts into this porcelain surface, adding a touch of literati interest that is "appreciable, tastable and memorable" to the tea mat.
The outer edge of the porcelain plate is outlined with a neat black frame using tin-inlay craftsmanship. The cold texture of tin and the温润 (warm and moist) texture of the blue-and-white porcelain surface form a sharp contrast, yet achieve a wonderful harmony in both vision and touch. The ductility and stability of tin not only make the teapot stand more durable, but also endow it with an exquisite sense of "metal edging, adding ancient charm". When holding it, the slight coolness of the tin edge touched by the fingertips seems to make one perceive the temperature of traditional craftsmanship.
As a teapot stand, its practicality and aesthetic value are equally outstanding. The diameter of 158mm is just right to accommodate common teapots and Jianzhan (tea bowls). When bearing the tea soup, the ancient blue-and-white painting is like a curtain under the tea set, making every water injection and soup pouring a "moving poetry". In the tea experience at Tongxin She Teahouse, matching the "Qixin" teapot stand with old Pu'er tea or Wulong Dan Cong tea, the clarity of porcelain, the elegance of tin and the fragrance of tea blend together, as if allowing the drinker to temporarily escape from the daily hustle and bustle, "settle the heart" in the ancient charm of blue-and-white porcelain, and gain a moment of tranquility in the mellow tea soup.
The "Qixin" Tin-Inlaid Blue-and-White Figure Teapot Stand is a vivid interpretation of "utensils carrying the way" by Tongxin She Teahouse. It retains the ancient charm with hand-painted blue-and-white porcelain, endows texture with tin-inlay craftsmanship, and takes the tea mat as a medium, allowing every tea lover to touch the pulse of traditional craftsmanship when using it, and retrieve the long-lost elegance and calmness between each vessel and each cup of tea. If you also want to add an elegant utensil with a story to your tea mat, you might as well come to Tongxin She Teahouse and feel the charm of blue-and-white porcelain and the beauty of tin inlay of the "Qixin" teapot stand with your own hands, and let it bear the fragrance of tea in your tea affairs, as well as a deep affection for traditional aesthetics.