Guan Yu

Shaped like a sculptural bow, when displayed upright, the white semi-circular box is shining and tranquil as a sea moon. The silver-pressed relief images depict the movements of water and fish. A mystery is hiding in the box: pull the ornament on the box softly, and a drawer opens, a black half-moon emerging from the white. It represents a duality, “yin” and “yang”, which originate from the philosophy of Taoism. Taoists as tea, tea as Taoists: the “yin” and the “yang”, the black and white, movement and stillness, perfect and imperfect – these represent Taoist thinking; clean and cloudy, leisure and worry, fish and water – these represent tea.