Partial Chinese Tea Set: 6 saucers, 5 spoons, 1 cup, 1 set of sugar tongs, 1 teapot w/ missing lid, and 1 serving tray. MIA is the sugar bowl, which also had a lid.
One of the cups is chipped, and you can see that it might be made of wood, with heavy lacquer on top, as opposed to it sort of seems like plastic at first glance. They are very light. Once, our landlord who is Chinese, and can read the language, looked at the markings on the bottom, but he was unable to identify what it says. It’s a globe with some characters. Perhaps it says “Made in China”.
Most of the sheen on these is completely grungy now, this saucer best shows it in full glory. It too is fading away though. Why I like this set is for both the memory of my mom having tea-leaf reading parties, the feeling of ceremony they evoke, and for the exquisite painting. Each scene is similar, but unique.
Status: Keeping serving tray – it is very useful. Does the maker’s mark merit some more research and then sell them, or are they merely broken parts to be donated to the Sally Ann?
Obsolescence Project 
Now when I started this I never thought of creating desire for said objects. How about this > if it is indeed headed to the Sally Ann your name is first on the list.
ahh – “creating desire” – “coveting” is the word i use to describe the feeling that arises when my fingers itch to touch, to hold, to grasp and possess…whatever it is, sometimes things i forget by the very next day and other times things that i dream about, even years later.
ceo thinks that the teapot could be donated to her to use as a vase: first, because it is green and we have just had st. pat’s day (why this means i win a prize is a mystery i will not try to unravel) and second because it is the first day of spring today (ditto on the rationale though). are we permitted to put dibs in on stuff?