Not Quite the Real Thing

The Williams Sonoma plate at Alouette Bistro

I went to Alouette Bistro in downtown Vancouver for lunch today with a friend.

When I sat down I was surprised to see the plate on the table looked like the Canton Rose pattern that was popular in the late Qing dynasty; it was named after the southern Chinese city (now Guangzhou), when it was the only Chinese city exporting china.

The Canton Rose design refers to the pink roses that were hand painted on the plates along with butterflies, birds, and other flowers.

A Canton Rose platter at Yuet Tung China Works

These colourful plates, decorated with gold paint, were called guangcai, and one of the last factories that make and sell these kinds of porcelain is Yuet Tung China Works in Hong Kong.

Its office/shop/studio is located in Kowloon Bay, and visitors need to be very careful walking through the rooms that are piled high with plates, bowls, tea cups, vases and platters -- if they break anything, they have to buy it.

Back at the restaurant I couldn't help but turn the plate around to see where it was made and saw Williams Sonoma printed on the back. This design is called Green Famille Rose.

Here's the description on the Williams Sonoma website:

"Fanciful, festive and inspired by Chinese porcelain, our hand-finished salad plate comes in eye-catching colours. Each gold-rimmed porcelain piece features a unique design embellished with flora and fauna, including multicoloured butterflies. It layers beautifully with the rest of the collection for both everyday dining and special occasions."

Stacks of bowls in the Canton Rose pattern

While we appreciate the nod to its Chinese origins, a bit more historical context would have been appreciated. That said these plates pale in comparison to the originals.