As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the moonlight shimmers like silk, marking a perfect time for family reunions and heartfelt conversations. Tongxinshe Teahouse selects the "May We Live Long" Tea Set Gift Box, which takes the thousand-year-old porcelain craftsmanship as its framework and the poetic essence of Su Shi's Ci as its soul. Limited to only 3 sets, it adds an elegant and warm touch to your Mid-Autumn Festival.
Gift Box Introduction
• Product Name: "May We Live Long" Tea Set Gift Box
• Craftsmanship: Integrating multiple ancient techniques such as indigo dyeing, gold tracing, underglaze red, blue-and-white porcelain, and moss green glaze.
• Inclusions: 1 teapot, 3 tasting cups, 1 tea pot holder, 1 brocade box.
• Specifications:
◦ Teapot: 90ml capacity, 6.8cm in height, 4.2cm in caliber.
◦ Tea Pot Holder: 180ml capacity, 2.7cm in height, 12.2cm in caliber.
◦ Tasting Cup: 30ml capacity per cup, 3.1cm in height, 5cm in caliber.
◦ Gift Box: 35.2cm in length, 17.2cm in width, 10.5cm in height.
• Limited Quantity: Only 3 sets available, extremely rare and precious.
Appreciation of the Tea Set's Charm
1. Indigo-Dyed and Gold-Traced Teapot with the Motif "When Will the Bright Moon Appear"
The teapot body uses the indigo dyeing with negative space technique to create a hazy night scene, where the indigo glaze with interwoven light and dark shades is as deep as the night sky. The painter Xuanyin depicts figures with blue-and-white porcelain, using leisurely and relaxed lines that endow the figures with a sense of ease. After being fired underglaze, the English translation of Su Shi's Prelude to Water Melody by Lin Yutang is written in gold by Yue He. At the bottom of the teapot, the lines "May we live long, and share the beautiful moonlight even though thousands of miles apart" are written in alum red, along with the signature "Yue He". On the teapot lid knob, a gilded bright moon hangs high, echoing the artistic conception of "When will the bright moon appear" in the Ci poem. The collision of Chinese and English is not only a tribute to the classic but also an ingenious idea for cultural integration.
英文选择了林语堂先生翻译的版本：
明月几时有，把酒问青天
How rare the moon, so round and clear?
With cup in hand, I ask the blue sky.
不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年
I do not know in the celestial sphere
What name this festival night goes by?
我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇
I want to fly home,riding the air
But fear etheral cold there
高处不胜寒
The jade and crystal mansions are so high
起舞弄清影，何似在人间
Dancing to my shadow,I feel no longer the mortal tie
转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠
She rounds the vermilion tower
Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines on those who sleep less tie
不应有恨
Why does she, bearing us no grudge
何事长向别时圆
Shine upon our parting reunion deny
人有悲欢离合
But rare is perfect happiness
月有阴晴圆缺
The moon does wax, the moon does wane
此事古难全
And so men meet the moon and say goodbye
但愿人长久
I only pray for our life be long
千里共婵娟
And our souls together heavenward fly!
2. Moss Green Glaze Tea Pot Holder with Copper Lid
The tea pot holder is small and exquisite, with a curved belly and a ring foot. A flat copper lid is inlaid on top, decorated with a copper coin pattern in the center, and it can store water to maintain the teapot. The outer wall is coated with moss green glaze, which has a rich and warm color, like flocculent jade, with delicate and enjoyable layers. This glaze color originated in the Han Dynasty, and its firing technology was further improved in the Yongzheng period on the basis of the Song and Yuan dynasties, forming a low-temperature glaze color with copper oxide as the colorant. It was widely fired during the Jiajing reign, then gradually discontinued, resumed firing in the late Kangxi period, and reached the peak of perfection in the Yongzheng period. Tang Ying's Tao Cheng Ji Shi Bei (Monument to the Records of Porcelain Making) records the imitation of ancient green glazes: "There are two types of imitation poured green utensils: plain and carved." During the Yongzheng reign, green-glazed round utensils such as plates and bowls were common.
3. Underglaze Red Handwritten Tasting Cups (Set of 3)
The three small cups have a flared mouth and a ring foot, with fine texture. On the outer wall of each cup, auspicious phrases are handwritten in underglaze red by Yue He, namely "Mei Yi Yan Nian" (May good intentions prolong life), "Fu Gui Ji Chang" (May wealth and honor be prosperous), and "Hua Hao Yue Yuan" (May the flowers bloom beautifully and the moon be full). The fonts are simple and unsophisticated, the red color is rich, and the strokes are forceful with ups and downs, with a hint of emerald green, making them both practical and enjoyable for appreciation.
Cultural Connotation
As the translator in the documentary But There Are Still Books (Season 2) said, translation opens up new extended spaces for the mother tongue. The same goes for this gift box: the English translation of Su Shi's Ci is inscribed on the porcelain, and traditional crafts such as indigo dyeing and blue-and-white porcelain carry the collision of modern aesthetics. It not only retains the classic sentiment of "May we live long" for the Mid-Autumn Festival but also leaves a unique mark for this year's reunion with a distinctive recording method.
The "May We Live Long" Tea Set Gift Box of Tongxinshe Teahouse integrates ancient craftsmanship and cultural ingenuity, limited to 3 sets. It is the perfect choice for Mid-Autumn gifting and personal collection. May this tea set accompany you and your loved ones to taste tea under the moon and chat about reunion.