Model Train

My latest  hobby.

I bought  this model train set from the US a few months ago. Recently I set it up under the Christmas tree. Then I watched a video on how to make a  house  using card board  and I tried it out.

There it is, I have my veyy own train running around.  The children like it.

This  is the famous Santa Fe model train.

Famous teapot by Gu Zingzhou

This is a teapot made by Gu Zingzhou in the 1950s. It was reported that he made a total of 5 such teapots and he got the famous artist Wu Hufan painted on them. He then gave them away to the artist and other famous artists of the time such as Tang Yun. He himself kept one.

This teapot is a modification of a design by Chen Mansheng, a Scholar in the late Qing dynasty. Chen himself was not a potter, but a magistrate who liked Yixing tea-ware. As such, he engaged the famous potter of the time,  Yang Pengnien and his sister to make the teapots he had designed.

I don't quite like the original design by Chen as I felt that the mouth of the teapot was a bit small. The overall teapot is lacking in style and elegance. Gu's modified design looks grand and rich in shape and contour. Of course with the engraving of a famous artist, this teapot is unique in itself. It represented the works of two famous masters of the time.

Chen Mansheng's teapot

The Gu Zingzhou's teapot was auctioned a few years ago in China for millions of RMB.

Interestingly, I also own such a teapot (of course not by Gu Zingzhou). I did not buy from any shops. It was left behind by a tenant (from China) who rented my apartment a few years ago. It was put inside a cupboard. Obviously, when the tenant moved out, he could have forgotten that there was a teapot he left behind in the cupboard.

As I do not have such a teapot design in my collection, I gladly kept it for myself. 

Teapot left behind by someone

White Tea

Recently, I have tasted some white tea and found it to be quite pleasant and smooth to drink.

In the past, I did have some white tea but did not enjoyed it as much. I was told that people in Hong Kong like this tea very much. In fact my first sample of the white tea (Shou Mei) was given to me by a colleague from Hong Kong some twenty over years ago. As I did not quite like the tea, I threw it away. What a waste, the tea could have been very nice now if I kept it (May be I was too engrossed with puerh and neglected this tea). Any way, it is not too late to discover this tea and start enjoying it (or collecting it). 

White tea has been around for many years. It was mainly exported to countries in the west as locals found it  to be expensive especially the high grade type of white tea known as Yin Zhen (Silver Needle). The lesser grade such as Bai Mutan and Shou Mei are really quite affordable. White tea comes form the province of Fujian where farmers plant the tea along hilly slopes several hundred feet above sea level. Good tea is almost invariable harvested before the rainy season in March where the leaves are fresh and lively. The tea is processed in a traditional way using sunlight to dry and wither the leaves before packaging it into various forms like loose tea or compressed tea.

It is said that white tea can be kept and it matures over the years. The first three years the tea will develop its medicinal value and after 7 years the tea will become a treasure. Hence it won't be surprised to see old white tea commanding a high price after 7 years.

White tea selling 800 RMB

The tea is yellowish in colour

 The tea has a slight sweet taste with a pleasant aroma. Old white tea has different type of fragrance, like fragrance of flowers and fruits, etc.

Old Shou Mei 

Ever since my first cup of old Shou Mei, I begin to like this tea. I have since collected a few tea cakes in case the price go up in future due to inflation.