Old wares resurrected Tsai, who had long held an interest in antiques, often went to the National Palace Museum (NPM) to study antique ceramics. There he also made detailed observations about how the methods of manufacture and glazes of imperial ceramics changed from era to era. Through the glass of the display cabinets, he observed and befriended the master craftsmen of earlier eras.
名窯重現原本對古器物就相當有興趣的蔡曉芳，時常造訪故宮研究歷代陶瓷，在那裡他細細研賞歷代官窯微妙多變的釉色與器制，隔著櫥窗與歷代名匠跨越時空凝視神交。