Item description / significance
I saw swans like this for sale on Xianyu, the Chinese second-hand marketplace app, then I saw one in person in when my colleagues and I went to Xixi Wetlands to have tea. But I decided I wanted to buy one in Longquan itself if possible. I succeeded!
Bought where
in a shop in Longquan, where they make this kind of porcelain stuff
Age and origin
new, Chinese
What I like about it
It’s a bird. I think I’m generally less interested in water animals than I am in land and sky animals, but water birds can go wherever they want. I like anything with wings.
The color and texture. I find celadon porcelain soothing: it’s smooth and detailed at the same time. I picked the greener of the two color options in the shop.
See below for product photos of similar swans for comparison.
Other notes
There are at least two color variations available, one more greenish and one more blueish:
Like many small animal figurines made in China, it’s actually intended to be a tea accessory; it can hold a tea cup or tea filter between its wings, like so:
