Jian Shui 31: 荷 - Lotus - From the mud comes beauty

From the mud comes beauty.  This Jian Shui combination is designed to be both a teapot and cup to be used in travel.  Of course, you can just use it to have a single person teapot and cup at your bedside or side table while you enjoy a good book.  This combination is chock full of meaning: 1.  The single character ( 荷 ) on the front of the teapot, inlaid in yellow clay， simply says "Lotus".   In Chinese and Tibetan culture the lotus flower is a symbol of purity and beauty.  The lotus rises from the mud on the bottom of bodies of water, struggling to reach the surface, and then blooms to the most beautiful of flowers. This, of course, is actually a metaphor for life.  Regardless of you humble or tarnished beginnings, you can grow and emerge to have the most beautiful life. 2.  The two characters on the cup reflect this thought and are interpreted as "beauty from the mud". 3.  The hand-carved characters on the reverse side that say "     ".  The teapot has incorporated a strainer int