The Story of the Willow Plate Author:Leslie Thomas Adapted from the Chinese Legend by Leslie Thomas, with illustrations by the author. — The willow pattern, originally used to decorate the blue china of Nanking, was introduced to the Western world via England in the late eighteenth century. Its popularity continues undiminished today--indeed, so much so that we often forget really to look at it,... more » and to think about what the picture tells.« less