Tuesday, February 26, 2013

of pearls and silk and tea pots...

 Fans...


...and silk scarves


...and a pink pearl from the fresh water pearl factory


...and a tea pot from the red porcelain tea pot factory.

Those are a few of the things that came home with me from China.


The clay pottery teapots are a trademark of the region we visited...
and have been hand-crafted here since the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Apparently these tea pots brew the very best tea...
though I'm sure the superiority of it would be lost on me!
While we are on the subject of tea...


...let me take you along to the green tea plantation we visited. 
We learned all about the harvest and production of green tea...
and sampled tea made from the best quality leaves.
The premium grade tea leaves are  for local use only...
and never make their way to the export market.
It was available for us to bring home.
I opted not to.
After drinking green tea at every meal over there...
I could only dream of the coffee I would be drinking back home!
But now I am wondering what kind of tea I will brew in my Chinese pot!


While visiting the green tea plantation...
we posed in the fields with our traveling companions.
Just for the record!
Two years ago we had a similar photo taken with the same friends...
in the tea plantations of Kenya.

Now we are wondering...
who else grows tea?
Where to next?

Tomorrow..
I'll take you to Nanjing...
the second largest commercial center in East China.


16 comments:

  1. What a lovely scarf and necklace you brought home. The tea set is sweet and I like the smooth shape. It would be interesting to visit a tea plantation. Thanks for sharing more photos of your wonderful trip.

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  2. I love the fan and the silk. I'm remembering suddenly that I have a length of white and red silk that Terry's grandparents brought back from their visit to China. No one ever sewed anything up from it and so it came to me and now I always feel there must be something very special for me to sew it into and so it it still folded up neatly ...waiting.

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  3. I enjoy seeing your travel post! Since I have never been and will never get to go to China - this is a good way to visit!

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  4. Love the pink pearl necklace!
    Great photos altogether!
    Thanks for sharing!
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  5. You brought home some lovely things to remind you of your whirlwind tour of China. Where else grows tea? Ecuador has a very small tea industry - it was just down the road from where we lived in the jungle!

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  6. You brought some very lovely reminders of your time in China. The pink pearl is especially nice.
    I had a cup of tea last night with a stir fry I made for dinner. Now I'm wondering how the taste would differ compared to the premium stuff.

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  7. So if any of you come up missing, we'll find you in the tea leaves? Cute photo!

    Beautiful treasures from China. Are they gifts or are they yours?

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    1. Silk scarves? I brought back many...mostly for gifts. The fans were for my grandgirlies. The pink pearl is a gift for a sweet girl who is having a birthday soon. The teapot is mine...though I have no idea why I want another teapot. :)

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  8. There's nothing so lovely as a silk scarf!
    Did you know that we have a tea plantation right here in Cornwall at Tregothnan House?

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  9. I like your selection of souvenirs. I'm sure the teapot will stand in your memory for a long time. :)

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  10. I love your pink pearl... I have one from Maui but it is not quite as dark as yours!.....smfast

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  11. Tea is grown in India and you MUST have acquaintances who have family there... And then there is Nepal, I think... I'm sure you should be able to find plenty of places to visit with your traveling companions!

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  12. I can't tell you how much I am enjoying these pictures. I am wondering how much better my last cup of tea would have been if it had been made in your pink pot? The gifts you chose were fun to see, especially as I pondered your thoughts behind each one. The pearl necklace was pretty and I know someone will be so happy to receive it. The picture of the four of you is so good, and I am sure you will treasure it more as time goes by. Thanks for sharing this tea post.

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  13. You almost have me convinced I might like to visit China after all!

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  14. Green tea is supposed to be loaded with healthy antioxidants, Judy. I often drink herbal tea after diner as I find it relaxing and there is no caffeine in it to keep me awake. Your red teapot is a treasure and will always have a wanderful story behind it!

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