The Blue Willow Love Story
A brief background on Blue Willow plates.
In the 15th century Chinese manufactures started making China to export to Europe this was extended to the Americas in the 1800s.
In 1780 Thomas Turner was the first to produce a copper engraving of the blue Willow pattern and Spode was the first mass producer of this blue and white China in 1790.
Blue Willow has an oriental theme with either a Pergola or Tea house, a bridge, three people, a Willow tree, two birds at flight and lattice border.
The poem behind the Blue Willow plates
“lovers story”
“Whatever food you served daughter, romance will enter the feast. Pay heed to the legend of my old China plate from the east.”
“Kong see was a Mandarin‘s daughter and Chang was her lover.”Surely Chan the account would not woe and love of Kong See.
So Chang was expelled from the palace in Kong See was imprisoned in a little blue house by the lake.
The old man thought it was time his daughter should wed a groom of his choosing to banish the silly romance from her head.
For years the sews have been stitching a dress she would wear on that day and a headband of Scarlet lie waiting for the ride in the gold wedding chair.
He was busy plotting and planning when a message arrived one day, Chang had invaded the palace and taking his sweet heart away.
They were over the bridge when he saw them,just passed the old willow tree and the boat at the edge of the water was waiting for the Chang and Kong See.
The mandarin man followed his daughter with vengeance in his eyes, the little boat danced on the water and traveled away with the prize.
His revenge pursued them to their shelter, burning the pagoda they say. But out of the flames rose the lovers as a pair of doves, winging away.
They flew on towards the Western heaven was pretty Chong see and her Chang, so says the famous legend from the land of the Yangtze clan.
They flew on towards the Western heaven was pretty Chong see and her Chang, so says the famous legend from the land of the Yangtze clan.
I would not be one to deny it the little blue dove and her mate, forever flying together across my old Blue Willow plate.