My family owns a large set of ‘Blue Willow China’. This set includes several plates, teacups, a tea creamer, and a few more tableware pieces. All of the china pieces we own are blue, white, and extremely delicate. They’re designed with very detailed patterns. Some of the art on the plates includes willow trees, Chinese buildings, lovebirds, and more. The set comes from Japan and was passed down to my mom from her great-grandmother.  Although this set is from Japan, my great-great-grandmother comes from Italy. Her whole family is from Italy, but she got married in Brooklyn after she came to the United States. She received this as a gift from someone at her wedding in 1903. She got married and later decided that my mom should be the person to have and take care of it. My mom’s great-grandmother loved this set mostly because of the tale behind it. The tale was about a wealthy young woman who loved a poor man but they weren’t allowed to get married according to her father because the man was poor. They ran off to be together but eventually got captured and killed by men that her father sent. After they got killed, the gods turned them into lovebirds to live a happy, eternal life together. My family uses these pieces almost every day. When my grandma comes over, she especially loves to use this set. She specifically loves the teacups, because they were originally her grandmother’s. This china set means a lot to my family and will continue to be passed down. 

– ADC

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more