Jingdezhen Ink Ground Ice Plum Gongfu Tea Set – 5-Piece Gift Box

Plum blossom in the snow, on a ground of ink. The Jingdezhen Ink Ground Ice Plum Gongfu Tea Set captures one of the most evocative images in Chinese poetry and painting - the plum blossom (梅花) blooming in the depths of winter, its white petals luminous against the cold and the dark, its fragrance filling the frozen air with the promise of spring. Rendered against a deep, lustrous ink-black ground (墨地), the plum blossoms of this tea set glow with a quiet, defiant beauty that is the very essence of the ice plum (冰梅) aesthetic.

Ice Plum – The Flower That Blooms in Darkness (冰梅)
The ice plum (冰梅) is not a pattern but a state of being - the plum blossom (梅花) at its most heroic and beautiful, blooming in the coldest depths of winter when all other flowers have long since retreated. The plum blossom is the first of the Four Gentlemen of Chinese painting (四吜子) - alongside orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum - and the most beloved symbol of resilience, purity, and moral courage in Chinese culture. The great Song Dynasty poet Lin Bu devoted his life to the cultivation of plum trees and wrote of the blossom with a tenderness and precision that has never been surpassed: "Sparse shadows slant across shallow water; faint fragrance drifts in the moonlit dusk." To drink tea from a vessel adorned with the ice plum is to participate in that tradition of finding beauty in austerity, and strength in delicacy.

Ink Ground – The Depth of Darkness (墨地)
The ink-black ground (墨地) of this tea set is what transforms the ice plum motif into something of exceptional visual power. Against the deep, lustrous black, the white plum blossoms glow with a luminosity they could never achieve against a lighter ground - the contrast between darkness and light, between the cold winter ground and the flowering branches, creating a composition that is simultaneously dramatic and serene. The ink ground also evokes the world of Chinese ink painting (水墨画) - the great tradition of monochrome brush painting in which the full range of the visible world is expressed through the infinite gradations of black ink. On this tea set, the plum blossom emerges from the darkness as it does from winter itself: inevitable, luminous, and quietly triumphant.

Five Pieces, One Complete Ceremony
Every piece in this set has been designed to work together as a complete gongfu tea ceremony system:
• The gaiwan (150ml, Ø9.5cm × H8.9cm) brews the tea with precision and control
• The press-hand cup (100ml, Ø9.2cm × H5.1cm) receives and shares the tea with warmth and ergonomic grace
• The tank cup / gang cup (80ml, Ø6.5cm × H4.8cm) offers a different drinking experience - its wide, open mouth releasing the full fragrance of the tea before the first sip
• The pot stand / tea tray (Ø18.1cm × H3cm) holds the gaiwan and cups in elegant arrangement
• The lid rest (Ø9cm × H2cm) receives the gaiwan lid during brewing, keeping it clean and the table uncluttered

Gift Box Presentation
This set is presented in a gift box worthy of its contents. The ink ground ice plum design gives this set a dramatic, sophisticated aesthetic that sets it apart from more conventional tea ware - making it a particularly striking gift for those with a refined aesthetic sensibility, and an exceptional choice for winter gifting occasions.

Specifications
• Origin: Jingdezhen (景德镇)
• Design: Ice plum (冰梅) on ink ground (墨地)
• Gaiwan: Ø 9.5cm × H 8.9cm, 150ml
• Press-hand cup: Ø 9.2cm × H 5.1cm, 100ml
• Tank cup (gang bei): Ø 6.5cm × H 4.8cm, 80ml
• Pot stand / tea tray: Ø 18.1cm × H 3cm
• Lid rest: Ø 9cm × H 2cm
• Set: 5 pieces, gift box included