One person brought an actual
tea cake! We didn’t sample, but we did
oh and ah. We liked the book in terms of
the story and also because we learned a lot about the Akha people and tea
cultivation, sprinkled with history as many changes are occurring in Chinese
society during this time period – 1988 to 2017.
Before we discussed the book, some of us viewed several videos on Lisa
See’s website of her tour in the region where the book is set and remarked, “Oh,
that’s not how I imagined that looked like!” http://www.lisasee.com/insideteagirl/
Lisa See was born in Paris
but grew up in Los Angeles. She lived with her mother, but spent a lot of time
with her father’s family in Chinatown. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The
One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), was a national
bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. The book traces the journey of
Lisa’s great-grandfather, Fong See, who overcame obstacles at every step to
become the 100-year-old godfather of Los Angeles’s Chinatown and the patriarch
of a sprawling family. Her books are Shanghai
Girls, China Dolls, Dreams of Joy, Peony in Love, and Snow Flower and the
Secret Fan.
Introduction to The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
In this coming-of-age novel,
a young Chinese woman finds purpose, passion, and the key to a new life in the
tea-growing traditions of her ancestors.
High in the Yunnan mountains, Li-yan and her family, members of the Akha
ethnic minority, live according to the precise rituals of their people. Then
one day, the market economy, in the form of a businessman seeking a rare tea,
arrives at their remote village and changes the community forever.
As Li-yan’s family adapts to
the incursion of the outside world, she falls in love with a boy who her mother
believes is an inauspicious match. When she bears his child, instead of hewing
to the tradition that would have her kill the little girl, she leaves her baby,
wrapped in a blanket with a special tea cake inside, on the steps of a nearby
orphanage.
Through hard work,
education, and an appreciation for Pu’er, her people’s special tea, Li-yan
eventually makes a life for herself in the wide world outside her village. Yet,
even as she finds a business and a husband that she loves, she never stops
thinking about her lost child.
Discussion Questions
1. The Tea Girl of
Hummingbird Lane begins with the Akha aphorism, “No coincidence, no story.”
What are the major coincidences in the story? Are they believable? How
important are they in influencing your reaction to the novel as a whole?
- We probably would have
thought there are too many coincidences for this to feel true, but because it
starts with this quote, we were able to frame it as more as “magical” or a “parable”
and accept how the story unfolded.
2. Perhaps the most shocking
moment in the novel comes with the birth of the twins and what happens to them.
A-ma explains that “only animals, demons, and spirits give birth to litters. If
a sow gives birth to one piglet, then both must be killed at once. If a dog
gives birth to one puppy, then they too must be killed immediately” (pages
27–28). The traditions surrounding twins are very harsh, to say the least, but
were you able to understand what happens to them within the context of Akha
culture? How does this moment change Li-yan’s view of Akha Law, and what are
the consequences? Are there any aspects of the Akha culture that you
admire?
- Shocking is right.
- It was interesting to see
how Li-yan could hold on to some aspects of the Akha culture more easily than
others, Sometimes, she dropped the ones
that were “too harsh” and other times, she dropped the ones which were
impossible/or too difficult to do because she didn’t have the right people,
equipment, or location. She did,
however, improvise. That seems to be what
happens in many cultures and religions over time.
3. What is Li-yan’s first
reaction when she sees her land? Why does A-ma believe the tea garden is so
important? Why does A-ma believe that the trees are sacred? What is the
significance of the mother tree?
- Stories of trees have been
passed on from generation to generation.
- This is the source of A-ma’s
power, her duty and responsibility.
- It’s a connection to the
past and the ancestors.
4. San-pa and Li-yan’s
relationship ends tragically and causes them both great pain. Is what happens between
them fate, or is it bad luck? In your opinion, does their community’s
negativity about their union shape the outcome of their marriage? Does his
death change your feelings about him?
- We liked him until he came
back from trying to make his fortune.
- He was mischievous.
- We did feel that he loved
her, up until the end, and yet he also was a selfish person and was using her
for her intellect and potential power within the village.
5. Can the experience
Li-yan’s village has with selling Pu’er be thought of as a microcosm for
globalization? Why or why not? Are all the changes to the village positive?
Given all we hear about China being a global economic superpower, were you
surprised that the novel starts in 1988?
- Yes, it is surprising that
the novel is so recent and also that Chinese adoptions really only started in
1991!
6. This novel uses a number
of devices to tell Haley’s story, including letters, a transcript of a therapy
session, and homework assignments. It isn’t until the final chapter, however,
that you hear Haley in her own pure voice and see the world entirely from her
point of view. Did this style of storytelling enrich your experience of the
narrative? Did it make you more curious about Haley?
- We liked it and learned a
lot, especially in the therapy sessions.
- We were surprised there
was so much anger in the therapy by adoptees, mostly because it had not been
out own experience with people we know, however, we could understand it and our
perspective has been broadened.
7. Almost everyone in the
novel has a secret: Li-yan, A-ma, San-pa, Mr. Huang, Deh-ja, Ci-teh, Teacher
Zhang, Mrs. Chang, and Jin. How do those secrets impact each character? How are
those secrets revealed and what are the results, particularly for Li-yan and
Ci-teh’s relationship? The only person who doesn’t have a secret of major significance
is Haley. What does that say about her?
- Until we read this
question, we didn’t even think about who had what secrets.
- Doesn’t everyone have some
secret? Does that make Haley less
believable?
8. By the time Li-yan and
Haley meet, each has been searching for the other for many years. However,
Haley already has a family and an adoptive mother. Is there room for Haley to
have two mothers? How do you think Li-yan and Haley will relate to each
other—as mother and child, or will their roles be something slightly different?
What do you suppose Haley and Li-yan will talk about first?
- We loved the ending and
were glad no men were involved in that special place at that special meeting.
Interested in more about China’s history? Here are more authors:
Anchee Min http://www.ancheemin.com/
Jung Chan http://www.jungchang.net/
