I loved the flora in China. I was in Hangzhou in'79 going to school. Yes, think hot and humid, very hot and very hummid. Hanging hot fog with temps near 40 C. Everyone in Hanhgzhou said Nanjing was even hotter. I don't remember a lot of succulents. I do remember crepe myrtles, bamboo, lilies, lotus. The gardens were beautiful to my eyes but the plantings at that time were ragged. It was not long after the cultural revolution, and gardens were considered criminally bourgeois. I am sure that has changed. I had the most amazing experience in Souchou. I was at this garden because a friend had heard that a most amzing historic collection of bonzais was coming out of hiding and was to be displayed at this garden. I walked in and they had these worn tables set up , and on it were the MOST UNBELIEVABLE bonzais I have ever seen in my life. Some were 400 , 500 years old. Some did not even look like trees but see wood, or the weathered bark pealed off a tree with a few branches and leaves. The forms were most unusual. They were not so formalized as Japanese bonzai. the aesthetics was so much more experimental pushing the plant to extremes of weathering. They were not so hung up on the keeping of the plant tiny. It was more about form and texture, so the twisting and convolutions were extreme. The old men that had taken them and protected them through the cultural revolution were there to tell their stories. I never made it to Nanjing. I made it as far north as Wuxi and Souchou. IT was a different time when I was there. The Shanghai airport had one small terminal, No sky scrapers above ten floors that I could see. People were still wearing the Mao uniforms and the girls all had their peter pan collars. The summer that I was there the brave and adventuresome women started wearing dresses out in public. That was so shocking to my friend. A lot of the fauna was just like I see in the south, because it all came from china mostly.

The Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), also known as the Chinese Bulbul. I have some great pictures of them from Hong Kong - and they were also sitting over the water... Candy

Hello fellow China Collectors. I am collecting dessert/salad plates in mismatched patterns. I collect the sugar bowls and creamers too. I am working on a business plan to rent props for parties. I have always adored "girlie golden items" sweet flowers...painted tea pots items the pin up girls from the curvy era would use on their kitchen tables dawning an Apron and a smile. I do not care about the value of the dishes. I use them all every day. The trade name of Shabby Chic which still has all of us women in admiration of it's sweet design, calls my name in every dusty shop - mothball smelling - church basement - ninety degrees in the sun venue. I so enjoy the treasure hunt that my IBS starts to rumble. I am caught up in the frenzy of my own accord...fortunately prior to stepping into the hunting grounds...I prepare my quest with great walking shoes...cool loose clothes...a light meal. I can not Thank You all enough for posting pictures of your lovely finds and prized China. My seek and find missions are the highlight of my weekends. I am now collecting cute plastic - backyard fun acrylic plates and wine gobblets for my event planning company. I paint old furnishings. One day...God willing...I will either get this business rolling or my Family will sell it all in an Estate Sale - when I am old and grey. I hope they will keep my bird bud vases for these little pink birdies take little space up on a windowsill.. I am certain a nice Middle Aged Women like myself will see them and use them or loan them out for a grand Tea Party some fine day - after I have left this sweet soil. Enjoy your finds...no dust on the dishes...fine or dinnerware...Share you collection with a few girl pals paired with crumpets because girls - or boys - we all just go around once.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice! Formerly LanaRoma, I'm lana_roma now. Apparently, my email address was lost during the move, but my old username still remained in their database, although I couldn't get it confirmed even after multiple attempts. I asked the GW/Houzz staff to restore my account but received no help from them. I gave up and got a new account to be able to use GW. Oh well. The point about looking for hand painted vs decal is a great one. Now I'll make sure to have a magnifying glass with me when looking at china. Made a list of brands that you suggested and Googled them. Mottahedeh looks fabulous and very high end. V&B Anmut is such a sophisticated choice! Royal Doulton looks lush and Victorian - wish I had a Queen Anne house to go with it. :-) Spode Stafford is lovely. Lenox, Limoges, Pickard, Wedgwood and Bernardaud are on my list too. There's a lot of Noritake and Mikasa china on CL, but my understanding now is that those are pretty much mid-range brands. I'm confused about Haviland. There are Haviland sets for sale on CL, but some ads say that not all the items in the ad are Haviland, although they all have the same design. For example, this set is lovely: The ad Haviland Set on CL says that some pieces are "Haviland France, some are marked Z.S., & Co. Bavaria, and one is marked Japan", although the pattern is identical. Am I right to doubt whether it's a quality set? I'm a little confused about bone china too. I have two cup and saucer sets of hand painted bone china made in St. Petersburg, Russia. The china is very thin, translucent and with fine detailing. I also have a cup and saucer set marked as bone china and made in England. It's a nice set, but not as fine as the Russian sets. Thicker, a bit clumsier in shape and doesn't look so refined. Funny, when I browsed the local CL today, there were two Mikasa Classic Flair sets for sale. I like my Classic Flair set because I'm partial to Art Nouveau styling, although it's definitely not everyone's thing. Tureens - I use my Noritake Belle Rose tureen to microwave rice pilaf that comes in boxes. Works great! But it's marked as Cook'n Serve. Also, is there a high demand for fine china overall? Some CL sellers ask such high prices for used china. Like $1500 for a Royal Worcester Evesham Gold set: Evesham on CL . This baffles me. I have an Evesham Gold serving dish ( a gift) and it isn't really that high end to me. It's pretty, but not more.