A glassmaker’s morning in Liuzhou
Michael Zhan arrived in Liuzhou on a misty March morning, following a tip from a lacquerware trader about a family-run glass workshop hidden in an old neighborhood. The owner, Master Wei, had been blowing glass since he was fourteen, using minerals mined from the nearby hills to tint the molten silica. The amber shade he achieved — warm, transparent, with a whisper of rust — reminded Michael of old apothecary bottles he’d seen in Fujian tea houses. Over cups of Tiě Guān Yīn, they discussed the proportions that make a tasting cup sing: height must exceed diameter to trap aromatics, the rim must be thin but rounded for a soft touch on the mouth, and the base should be sturdy enough to hold residual warmth. Michael selected two tall cylinders from Master Wei’s morning batch, each 40ml, ideal for sharing a gongfu infusion with a friend. The pair format encourages side-by-side aroma comparison, a ritual he’s long advocated for oolong sessions. The cups are now finished with a fine rim polish and bear the faint pontil mark of the blowpipe — a sign of their handmade origin.