diff --git a/wsme/rest/xml.py b/wsme/rest/xml.py
index 331bbb0..2d1b585 100644
--- a/wsme/rest/xml.py
+++ b/wsme/rest/xml.py
@@ -203,6 +203,13 @@ def dict_fromxml(datatype, element):
         for item in element.findall('item')))
 
 
+@fromxml.when_object(wsme.types.text)
+def unicode_fromxml(datatype, element):
+    if element.get('nil') == 'true':
+        return None
+    return wsme.types.text(element.text) if element.text else six.u('')
+
+
 @fromxml.when_object(datetime.date)
 def date_fromxml(datatype, element):
     if element.get('nil') == 'true':
diff --git a/wsme/tests/protocol.py b/wsme/tests/protocol.py
index bd5b9d9..4ad6948 100644
--- a/wsme/tests/protocol.py
+++ b/wsme/tests/protocol.py
@@ -176,6 +176,13 @@ class ArgTypes(object):
         assert type(value) == wsme.types.text
         return value
 
+    @expose(wsme.types.text)
+    @validate(wsme.types.text)
+    def settextnone(self, value):
+        print(repr(value))
+        assert type(value) == type(None)
+        return value
+
     @expose(bool)
     @validate(bool)
     def setbool(self, value):
@@ -475,6 +482,14 @@ class ProtocolTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         assert self.call('argtypes/settext', value=u('\xe3\x81\xae'),
                         _rt=wsme.types.text) == u('\xe3\x81\xae')
 
+    def test_settext_empty(self):
+        assert self.call('argtypes/settext', value=u(''),
+                        _rt=wsme.types.text) == u('')
+
+    def test_settext_none(self):
+        assert self.call('argtypes/settextnone', value=None,
+                        _rt=wsme.types.text) == None
+
     def test_setint(self):
         r = self.call('argtypes/setint', value=3, _rt=int)
         assert r == 3, r
diff --git a/wsme/tests/test_restxml.py b/wsme/tests/test_restxml.py
index c96bb3e..e1c2641 100644
--- a/wsme/tests/test_restxml.py
+++ b/wsme/tests/test_restxml.py
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ def dumpxml(key, obj, datatype=None):
         el.text = six.text_type(obj)
     elif type(obj) in (datetime.date, datetime.time, datetime.datetime):
         el.text = obj.isoformat()
+    elif type(obj) == type(None):
+        el.set('nil', 'true')
     elif hasattr(datatype, '_wsme_attributes'):
         for attr in datatype._wsme_attributes:
             name = attr.name
@@ -98,6 +100,8 @@ def loadxml(el, datatype):
             return parse_isotime(el.text)
         if datatype == datetime.datetime:
             return parse_isodatetime(el.text)
+        if datatype == wsme.types.text:
+            return datatype(el.text if el.text else u(''))
         if datatype == bool:
             return el.text.lower() != 'false'
         if datatype is None:
diff --git a/wsme/tests/test_spore.py b/wsme/tests/test_spore.py
index 5bbab9c..4d0b0b9 100644
--- a/wsme/tests/test_spore.py
+++ b/wsme/tests/test_spore.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class TestSpore(unittest.TestCase):
 
         spore = json.loads(spore)
 
-        assert len(spore['methods']) == 45, str(len(spore['methods']))
+        assert len(spore['methods']) == 46, str(len(spore['methods']))
 
         m = spore['methods']['argtypes_setbytesarray']
         assert m['path'] == 'argtypes/setbytesarray', m['path']