Huxinting (湖心亭), 'The Willow Pattern Tea House', Shanghai (上海)

Collection

Identifier

BL-s088

Download

What you can and cannot do with downloads

Notes

University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China reference number: BL-s088. Huxinting or Woo Sing Ding (湖心亭), Old City, Shanghai. This tea house, dubbed 'The Willow Pattern Tea House' by foreigners due to its resemblance to a favourite English crockery design, is approached by a zigzag bridge (The Nine Curve Bridge). Huxinting may have been one of the inspirations for part of the imaginary scene depicted on willow-pattern crockery. This popular crockery design was developed by Thomas Turner in Shropshire, England in 1780. "South China is evidently the home of the story of the willow pattern which used to be so commonly painted on English china, for here the children's clothes, pinafores and ribbons are all embroidered with silk in this pattern." (Source: Kate Pruen 'The Provinces of Western China', 1906). Photograph by Henry Cammidge. This print does not have a caption by Cammidge on the photograph. The image (with Cammidge's utilitarian captioning), is reproduced on page 132 of 'History of Photography in China, Western Photographers 1861-1879' by Terry Bennett. See Hv38-12 (another print of this photograph of Huxinting). See also Bk02-03, Bk03-04, Bk05-01, HR01-107, OH01-048, OH01-049, Pe01-048, RA-m010, VH02-133, VH02-144 and Wr-s100.