Thermos bottles (also called vacuum flasks) are a very important household item that is used in daily life in China. Drinking water is usually boiled for hygiene purposes, and it would be stored in a thermos bottle after boiling to keep the liquid warm (e.g. to use for making tea or for washing). <BR> <BR> The thermos was invented in Europe at the turn of the twentieth century and was imported to China up until 1925, when the first Chinese vacuum flasks (reshuiping 熱水瓶 ‘hot water bottle’) were produced locally. Most of the thermos bottle factories are located in Shanghai. Thermos bottles played an important role in tea culture, as well as health and hygiene, as the preserved water can also be used in baths and showers. Thermos bottles were also the most popular object for wedding dowries, after radios, watches, bikes and sewing machines. In the 1970s, when income levels were relatively low, these objects were indicators of wealth and living conditions of a family. Nowadays, apartments, cars, and large sums of money have become popular for the wedding dowry. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Hannah Li, April 2019<BR>