In my Chinatown all the boxes are labeled 'chawan' for what you call
'gaiwan'. It is bowl with no handle and the lid fits inside the rim
for brushing aside the tea leaves as you sip. You can buy cups with
handles where the lid sits on the rim with or without the infuser.

Jim

Mydnight wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 04:32:17 GMT, "Alex Chaihorsky"
> > wrote:
>
> >I think that gaiwan is a special type of gaibei from Sichuan.
Nowadays the
> >term gaibei is mostly applied to a lidded mug with or without
strainer. Take
> actually, that's where i heard it called gaibei; when i was in
> sichuan. that's why i thought maybe it was some regional variation
> because i also heard the same thing in sichuan called gaiwan or
> chabei. the sichuan dialect is very strange and sometimes difficult
> to understand or even translate into mandarian.
>
> I really don't know, I'm just telling you what I heard. People
seldom
> say 'gaibei' anyway. heh. But I agree with you about you shouldn't
> call the mug a gaiwan. Still, some people do.
>
> >a look at this site: http://www.shanshuiteas.com/teaware.html
> >I think calling gaiwan "gaibei" is OK, but calling lidded
cylindrical mug
> >"gaiwan" is not.
> >Here they call gaiwan gaibei:
> >http://www.nobleharbor.com/tea/kungfu/teaware.html
> >Here is an article from Roy Wong of ITC.
> >http://www.macnabspremiumteas.com/gaiwan.html
> >
> >The last word should be said by our Chinese friends, though.
> >
> >Sasha.
>
>
>
> Mydnight
>
> --------------------
> thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn
shades of an endless night.