Hello friends, and happy Lantern Festival ! I’m delighted to be back with a new video, at the end of a festive Chinese fortnight that brought on new projects for The Ritual of Reading. As you might have seen on my latest post, I have been covering the traditional feasts of the Chinese New Year since the end of January in writing, with book reviews and all the goodies surrounding them on my website, as well as on the newly released The Ritual of Reading Podcast. Today, as the traditional festivities of the new year come to an end, I’m gathering all of my favourite reads and explorations from these past weeks, in a Chinese ritual to inspire your real or virtual travel.
The Lantern Festival marks the first new moon of the year that has just begun, a moment that symbolizes the end of the winter season and the welcoming of spring, as well as the hope for a prosperous and peaceful year ahead. And since prosperity and peace come together into a cup of tea for me, we shall begin our immersion with a small tea ceremony, fit for the travelling reader.
Vanilla White Tea Ceremony
The Chinese gaiwan or “lidded bowl” is considered the preferred method for brewing teas with delicate flavors, such as green and white teas, and this compact set is made especially for travel, in our case imaginary travel, but it’s nobody’s business how we choose to drink our tea. A recent visit to one of my favourite tea shops, Le Palais des Thés, has been the opportunity to rediscover the pleasure of white tea, and this one is somehow connected to our first novel. Pure Pleasures – Vanilla is an exceptional creation that combines a superb white tea from China with vanilla from Madagascar and Reunion.
White tea is a specialty of the Chinese province of Fujian. Of all the tea families, it is the one whose leaf is the least transformed compared to its natural state. Unfermented, white tea undergoes only two operations: withering and drying. Quickly steeped in moderately warm water (70°C), this refined experience changes with each infusion. From a frank expression of the vanilla pod, to subtle hints of luxuries past, this is an experience that invites you to connect with your senses.
Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
As you well know, vanilla is the product of an orchid, and it so happens that one of the novels I enjoyed the most during my Chinese start to the year has been Anchee Min’s Empress Orchid.
This historical fiction novel retells the life of Empress Dowager Cixi, known as Orchid, a Manchu noblewoman who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 years, from 1861 until her death in 1908. The book immerses you into the fascinating world of the Forbidden City, where a country girl discovers a universe made of hierarchy, rules and restrictions, on her way to rising at the top of an empire taking its last breath.
This is the type of historical fiction that both entertains and informs you in equal measure. While there are certainly digressions and personal interpretations, I ultimately feel as though I’ve journeyed through time within the masterfully crafted world that Anchee Min has created. Her characters are as surprising as they are believable, a variety of profiles that paint the intricate picture of court life, each with a piece of wisdom to impart :
“Misery is the work of the mind,” Nuharoo said as she took a sip of her tea. “Master it and you will feel nothing but happiness.”
― Anchee Min, Empress Orchid
Orchids and the Chinese New Year
We’re closing the circle on orchids with the real deal. During the Chinese New Year, a variety of flowers are popularly shared among family, friends, lovers or colleagues as gifts. Orchids are undoubtedly the most popular Chinese New Year flower and among all varieties, the Phalaenopsis is Queen, with good omens of happiness, vitality and longevity.
In ancient times, they were said to symbolise abundance, fertility, refinement and luxury. Orchids are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Going as far away as the year 500 BC, Confucius is said to have reflected on the flower : “The orchids grow in the deep valleys, even though no one is there to admire them. They release their fragrant smell even though no one may be there to appreciate it. No matter what happens, they act like righteous men, strong and noble. They are truly gentlemen.”
I was a timid orchid owner in the past, and have received this purple Phalaenopsis three years ago for my birthday. I really didn’t feel we could resonate, I’m ashamed to say I even called her Ugly Betty. And then, Betty taught me a lesson. Despite the total neglect from my part, she flowered again and again, forcing me to admit not only her place in my home, but her beauty. This year, I decided to give Betty a little sister, so the Chinese New Year has brought me a precious little Emily (yes, I named her too, since she is a living part of my home, and I need to know how to address her when I say good morning or give her a bath). My New Year according to the Chinese calendar is starting with the good omen of vitality and noblesse : welcome home, Emily !
Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie
These past few weeks, I’ve been under the spell of an enchanting tale set in a less than enchanting historical context : Dai Sijie’s novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
As a child born in the last years of Communist Romania, I have long thought that contemporary art in every form, has a tendency to get stuck in the wounds of the past. Having understood what life was like in those dark decades, I felt we needed to heal and look either towards the future in order to rebuild, or to the light of the past, since every culture has a valuable heritage,no matter the tragedies or misfortunes. Yet recent history has shown me that what I had considered a lesson learned, was not the case across the general population. In the light of this shocking discovery, I have revised my attitude, in this case concerning literature, and have been reading many of the Chinese authors who focus on the Cultural Revolution, from a different perspective.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is the story of two city boys, exiled to a remote mountain village for re-education during China’s infamous Cultural Revolution. Their sin ? Being the children of intellectuals, having been brought up in homes with books and music, having a free spirit and a mind of their own. Revolting, right ? And yet, the beauty of Dai Sijie’s tale is in the wisdom of simplicity. The boys discover a secret stash of Western classics in Chinese translation, and dive greedily into Balzac’s world, as if they were coming up for air. This is their opportunity to transcend a gloomy reality, and imagine another world that they present, as a most endearing flirtation, to the daughter of the local tailor.
This is a story of youth and its resilience, of darkness that no one should experience, and of that uniquely human quality of hope. History has shown us time and time again that the one thing no oppressive regime can crush, is the human soul. And from what might seem a sorrowful story, I took a feeling of lightness, maybe brought on by their young age, and certainly underlined by an author that, despite having experienced re-education during the Revolution, has never let his light stop shining.
The Guimet Museum in Paris – national collections of Asia art
When in Paris, there are a few places you could immerse yourself in Chinese culture. Some restaurants naturally come to mind, a traditional tea parlour where you can taste authentic Chinese desserts, a shopping spree in Chinatown to wonder what all those exotic vegetables are and how to cook them, and of course a museum. The Musée Guimet hosts the national collections of Asian art, and is a never ending source of inspiration.
This January I visited their exhibition called Gold Ming : The splendors and beauties of Imperial China, and as always, I felt I was embarking on an unforgettable adventure. Gold has been considered a symbol of wealth and social status since High Antiquity, much like bronze, jade and silk. During the Ming Period (1368-1644), gold craftsmanship achieved an unparalleled refinement in the art of jewellery. With its unique and intricate aesthetics, this reflects the splendour of the Ming dynasty, regarded today as a golden era of Chinese civilisation.
Gold, jade, and silver ornaments were essential accessories for the clothing of elite and aristocratic women, deeply intertwined with the ideal of feminine beauty. Some of the most striking pieces featured gemstones as well as rare materials like white or pale-green jade, freshwater pearls, and kingfisher feathers. The choice of motif was also crucial, as these ornaments were not only symbols of status but were believed to bring wealth, happiness, health, and longevity to the wearer. Flowers and birds, traditionally linked to the seasons, were thought to bring good fortune: the prunus symbolized winter’s beauty, the peony represented abundance and spring, the lotus embodied purity and summer, and the chrysanthemum signified integrity and autumn.
A distant dream within the delicate bubble of a museum, bringing to life the countless beauties I’ve only imagined through reading.
Chinese Stir-Fry Cooking Technique
When it comes to virtual travel, the staple is always the cuisine, and in terms of Chinese food, the western world has almost reached a point of saturation, that makes us take for granted some of the culinary delights we’re offered. A reminder of their origin is sometimes welcomed, so that we can make the switch from fast-food culture to gastronomy.
One of the most emblematic cooking techniques, dating as far as the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century, is stir-frying, where ingredients are quickly fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West.
For me, there is no quicker way to escape into an imagined Chinese paradise, than with some fresh produce and the omnipresent soy sauce. Today I decided to prepare a new recipe of shrimp and bok choy, a combination I have never tried before. Bok Choy is not a regular in my fridge, since it remains an exotic vegetable here in France. Seeing it’s often translated somewhere in the Chinese cabbage range, I’ve always associated it with a neutral taste, between the tender leaves of white cabbage and maybe a mild swiss chard. Yet while tasting this recipe, I suddenly got a hint of mustardy punch that was quite surprising even though it shouldn’t be, since bok choy evolved from the mustard plant.
This is a classic example of subtleties we should be looking for in foreign cuisines, and the kind of simple, at home experience, that I love. Not to mention the beauty of each type of sauce that brings its own depth of flavour to the dish. Between the freshness of the greens, the sweetness of the shrimp, the light soy sauce, the dark mushroom-infused one and the extra special oyster sauce, I was in heaven. I felt surrounded by all the characters in the novels I’ve been reading lately, around a diner table somewhere in the mountains, where the heaviness of revolutions and wars could not reach us.
Get the full recipe HERE.
The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa
We’re closing the curtain with the novel that has made the strongest impression on me : Shan Sa’s multi awarded The Girl Who Played Go. This is the third Chinese author I’m reading this year who chose to relocate to France, and as a bonus, she also writes in French, though you should know the novel has been translated into 32 languages.
This was also an opportunity for me to brush up on my knowledge of Manchuria, a name I vaguely located on the map, somewhere in the distant unknown. The novel tells two parallel stories, in chapters that alternate between the voices of two players sitting opposite each other in the game of go : a young Chinese girl and a Japanese soldier in disguise.
Under the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, life for the local Chinese and Manchu population has followed either the path of mere survival, or the cause of resistance. And for a young girl starting to feel the fluttering changes of romantic attachments, the world seems to be constantly moving. The one steady element she can count on is her exceptional talent at the game of go. In the Square of a Thousand Winds, she meets a mysterious opponent, who wins her trust with his foreign accent and his discreet presence. Little does she know that the man sitting across from her is merely pausing to catch his breath, taking a brief respite from his days and nights spent fighting for the cause of an Emperor to whom he has devoted his life.
With the contemporary audacity of touching on intimate subjects like sexuality, the novel constructs a fragile universe, torn between humanity’s most opposing pursuits : war and love.
The eternal female sacrifice, the weight of duty on the shoulders of men everywhere, this is the story of mankind, told through the voices of two characters that unify our destinies. Shan Sa’s words are feathers that make you forget, for a second, the hardships of life.
“It has taken many years for the game of go to initiate me into the freedom of slipping between yesterday, today, and tomorrow. From one stone to the next, from black to white, the thousands of stones have ended up building a bridge far into the infinite expanse of China.”
― Shan Sa, The Girl Who Played Go
I am returning home from my virtual Chinese celebration of this new year with a suitcase full of books, the excitement of new discoveries and the never ending pleasure of creating a world of my own. As always, I’m guided by my curiosity into a carefully curated experience that awakens my senses, and hopefully inspires the people around me to create their own joy.
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Until next time, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
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Viennese Walz and the Strauss Family
