A Bowl Small Enough to Read the Lid
The 安吉碗 ("safe and sound" bowl) made in the summer of 2017 keeps things deliberately small: no saucer, a simple unadorned line, the rim of the bowl and its lid trimmed in a pale purple-gold. The whole thing holds 80ml and sits easily in one palm — small enough that "掌中宝" (a treasure that fits in the hand) isn't an exaggeration.
Lift the lid and four characters appear in red, written only on the inside: 安且吉兮 — safe, and well, and glad of it. The same lid does double duty at the tea table: measure the leaf into the upturned lid first — it works best for green tea or flower tea — pour water into the bowl, let it cool to the right temperature, then tip the leaf in, cover briefly, lift the lid again to smell before drinking.
A small bowl that asks for a small ritual: a phrase you only see if you bother to lift the lid, and a pause, before the tea, built right into how it's used.