Spring Letter
A swallow through blossoming branches — the old signal that spring's arrived.
new job · new home · fresh start
Ask about this piece →Dehua, Fujian · hand-carved bisque porcelain
Blank until you light it.
A scene is carved into the wall of a porcelain shade, then fired thin. Unlit, it reads as plain white porcelain. Strike a match underneath, and the carving shows up in the light.
Hand-carved in Dehua · ships worldwide · gift-boxed with 4 candles
Small first batch, shipped worldwide — every message gets a real reply, no bot.
🌍 Ships worldwide
✋ Hand-carved & numbered
💬 Real replies, no bots
Before the candle — a little history
What Dehua white porcelain actually is
These shades come from a specific, centuries-old porcelain tradition. Here's the real background, not the brand story — with museum pieces to show exactly what that means.
Dehua ware Guanyin, He Chaozong seal · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Where / What
A county in Fujian, not a brand name.
Dehua is a county on China's southeast coast where kilns have fired a distinctive ivory-white porcelain since the Song dynasty (960–1279). It reached its most refined form under the Ming (1368–1644): a soft, warm-white body used almost exclusively for figural sculpture, above all the Buddhist figure Guanyin. European collectors who received it in large numbers during the 18th and 19th centuries gave it the name it's still known by outside China — blanc de chine.
Waterpot, Dehua Kiln, Song dynasty — excavated at Gaide kiln site · Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Why it's white
The reason is in the clay, not the glaze.
Dehua's local clay has an unusually low iron content, so an oxidising kiln fires it to a warm ivory rather than the grey-blue of most other Chinese porcelain bodies. Fired thin, sections of it also transmit light — a property collectors have long used to help date and authenticate pieces, simply by holding them up to a lamp.
Seated Guanyin, Dehua white glaze · photo Mk2010, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Who carved it
The clay is soft enough to carve like this.
That softness is what let carvers render drapery folds, faces, and individual strands of hair before firing. The best-known name attached to this work is He Chaozong, a late-Ming sculptor whose signed Guanyin figures now sit in museum collections worldwide — his style is still referred to today as the He School.
Mounted blanc de chine jars, European collection · Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 Open Access
Where it stands today
Recognized, not just marketed as heritage.
In 2016, Dehua's porcelain-firing technique was added to China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. In 2021, the historic Dehua kiln sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as part of "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" — recognition of the maritime trade routes that once carried this ware out of Fujian.
A new use for it
That same low-iron clay is still carved in Dehua today, now given an evening job: glow with a scene you can't see until it's lit.
The Material
Fired thinner than most figural pieces ever need to be.
Traditional Dehua figures are solid-carved and don't need to transmit light. This shade does — so after carving, it's fired down until the relief reads as light and shadow instead of just texture, once there's a flame behind it. Most porcelain bodies are too dense, or too dark-bodied, for this to work at all; Dehua's low-iron clay is one of the few that can be worked this thin.
Worth knowing — clay shrinks unevenly as it fires. That's the actual reason no two shades come out quite identical, not just a nice thing to say about handmade goods.
Same Shades, Two States
Nothing shows until there's a candle underneath it.
What Ships
One box, one shade, four evenings of candlelight.
- 1×Carved porcelain shade
Your choice of design, below - 1×Matching porcelain saucer
Holds the tealight, catches the wax - 4×Hand-poured soy candles, four scents
White Tea, named "Worry-Free"; Ebony Sandalwood, "Chance Encounter"; Lavender & Rosemary, "Goodnight"; Gardenia, "Good Things Ahead." - 1×Box of matches
So it's ready to light on arrival
Using It
Three steps, in this order.
01
Set the tealight
Center one of the included soy candles on the porcelain saucer.
02
Lower the shade
Cover it, opening up, and light the wick through the porcelain.
03
Let it burn
The carving reads as light and shadow within a minute — good for up to three hours per candle.
The Collection
Nine designs, one shade.
Same mold, same clay — the carving is the only thing that changes from design to design.
Moonrise
Rooftops and a rabbit among clouds, from the old stories told about the moon.
mid-autumn · kid's room · far from home
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Wishing Koi
Koi carved into rolling waves — a traditional wish for good fortune.
graduation · big decision · a goal in progress
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Where Mountains Meet
Layered peaks and rivers, carved the way ink-wash painters draw them.
retirement · milestone birthday · a traveler
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In the Name of Love
Entwined blossoms, for the people who keep choosing each other.
wedding · anniversary · Valentine's
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Peony Garden
Peonies in full bloom — in Chinese tradition, a flower for prosperity.
housewarming · Lunar New Year
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Paris at Dusk
Rooftops and hot-air balloons over a skyline, for a city at night.
travel lover · going-away · honeymoon
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The Cat's Garden
Cats curled among leaves — quieter and more playful than the rest.
cat person · slowing down
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City Wander
Towers and wandering clouds — an ode to walking a city after dark.
new apartment · night owl
Ask about this piece →Before Reaching Out
A few practical things.
Do you ship to my country?
Every piece is carved and boxed in Dehua, Fujian, then shipped worldwide. Tell us your country on WhatsApp, email, or the form below and we'll confirm the route and cost before you commit to anything.
How long does shipping take?
Transit time depends on your country and the route running that week. Message us first — we'll give you a real estimate rather than a generic one.
How do I pay if there's no checkout?
This is a small first run, so orders go through a direct message one at a time — price and shipping get quoted there, instead of an automated cart.
Is porcelain safe to ship? What if mine arrives broken?
It's boxed to survive the trip, but porcelain is porcelain. If anything arrives damaged, a photo message on WhatsApp gets it sorted out directly.
Can I get more candles once the four run out?
Yes — the shade itself is reusable indefinitely. Any standard tealight works once you've burned through the four included scents.
Small-Batch, Shipping Worldwide
Nine designs, one message away.
Tell us which design stands out, where you're writing in from, and how you'd like to be reached — we'll follow up personally, whichever channel you prefer.
