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China - A Must For Every Hostess?
by MaryLou Driedger
I overheard a conversation between two women at the wedding gift registry counter in a department store. They were bemoaning the fact their niece, who was about to be married, had not chosen a china pattern. "She'll be sorry later on", said one. "Yes she will", the other rejoined. "If you don't get at least a starter set of china as a wedding gift, how long will it take before you can afford it on your own?" One woman wondered how her niece would entertain without a set of china. The other asked what the niece would put in her china cabinet if she had no china.
The only china I have is six plates, from my grandmother's china set, I inherited when she died. Other granddaughters received the additional pieces. I also have four plates left from the stoneware collection of dishes I received as a wedding gift thirty years ago. The rest of my dinnerware is a happy hodge- podge, mix n'match collection that seems to serve perfectly well for almost any occasion. Of course I don't have a china cabinet, so I've never had to worry what to display in one.
I did a little research to find out just how crucial a set of china is to success as a hostess, or indeed to a happy marriage. One engaged couple said they were asking guests at their wedding to give a donation to a charity instead of purchasing china. Another had requested relatives buy them a six man tent rather than a set of dishes. One bride had chosen to register at Wal-Mart, because she wanted practical gifts rather than elegant dinnerware which would collect dust in a cabinet. "Fancy entertaining just isn't my style", she confessed. A wedding advice columnist urged couples not to let their mothers sway them into asking for twenty place settings of china they might never use. A businesswoman laughed. "My Mom said I'd need china to entertain my husband's colleagues and customers. Well what about mine? The reality is most people take clients and associates out to restaurants when they want to entertain them." One pastor suggested engaged couples discuss their ideas and beliefs regarding family planning, managing money, monogamy and the role spiritual faith will play in their life together rather than china patterns.
In past centuries china was an heirloom passed down from generation to generation. It had sentimental value and was more highly treasured. Some families had their own special china pattern and all the households that shared the family name had the same dishes.
There may a case made for collecting china as a financial investment. Apparently if you have a set from a recognized company, designed by a famous artist in the field, it can increase in value and return a remarkable profit later on. Plates from historically important china sets can be sold for as much as $400.
About the Author
maryloudriedger.com/index.php
The Great Firewall Of China
May 2008
China has the most sophisticated censorship and internet surveillance in the world. But despite this autocratic control some guerrilla bloggers are still managing to get their message through.
"The Government always wants to try to act as the cat to control people's access to information but I think the mouse is running faster." This is the voice of Isaac Mao, he was one of China's earliest bloggers, and has learnt how to work the system. "The Chinese government's goal is not to control one hundred percent of what people are doing one hundred percent of the time," if they are too authoritarian, they will be faced with civil unrest. As CNN correspondent Rebecca MacKinnon points out, "to remain in power they want to prevent certain uses of the internet that might lead to overthrow." Journalists like Zhang Shihe work the gaps in the censorship to broadcast their message, " I rely on my instinct. Am I telling the truth or lies? Am I trying to help improve the situation? I know if I can control this, I'll be fine." He regularly films and comments on rural working conditions, and has as yet avoided jail. But his story is not typical. With about 30 known journalists and 50 internet users known to be behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists has branded China "the world's leading jailer of journalists."
Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures
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