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/
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