Wishes not granted!

Don't bother rubbing it 'cause no genie lives here. It's not a lamp, and it's not even Middle Eastern :) It is, in fact, from China. Welcome to the second feature of the "Teapot of the Day" series.

I spent fall semester of my senior year of college in China. It was an amazing experience, and at the end of three months I came back to the U.S. with some Chinese language skills, an intestinal parasite whom I would eventually name Irwin, and a dozen teapots. Oh, there were various other souvenirs in my bags, but the teapots were the biggies. I bought them all on one trip to Yi Xing and paid MAYBE $15.00 for the lot of them. On my first trip to Teavana I spotted a Yi Xing teapot for sale and almost keeled over at the price tag, which was around $50.00!

I remember spending the day in the dusty, hot market with my face twisted up in a wince from the way the vendors would bang the teapots and cups together to show how strong the vessels were. I also remember learning about one of the most fascinating characteristics of Yi Xing pots: if you use the same tea in them for several decades, eventually you don't have to add leaves, just hot water. Something about the property of the clay causes it to retain the essence of the tea. It's fascinating tidbits of information like this that get me through the day sometimes, honestly; they help me remember that this world really is magical, no matter how rotten it seems.

Anyhoo, I kept three of the Yi Xing teapots for myself, gave two to my mom, and gave the rest to family and friends. This one was one of my favourites, and it was nice to see it again. I hope that you've enjoyed seeing it, too :)

Kimberley