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In “The tea girl of Hummingbird Lane”, Lisa See explores themes of family, identity and motherhood. Lisa See’s book tells the story of Li-Yan and her family; members of the Akha tribe; living in the Yunnan mountains. It’s set during the cultural revolution of China and extends to nowadays.Li-Yan’s family lives by working in the tea fields. The protagonist's life changes drastically when she bears a child whose father has gone missing. Due to their tribe costumes, she chooses to leave her child with a special tea cake in the steps of an orphanage in the city. The girl is adopted by an American couple, and we get to see both the lives of the mother and daughter living apart.
The book is a great way to know more about tea its production its value and how it became part of our lives. It focuses specifically on the Pu’er Tea . Li-Yan will be learning about Tea outside of her village. And then she will be coming back bringing along prosperity to her people.
It's a heartwarming story and an extraordinary tale about motherhood .This theme is visited in the relationship between Li-Yan and her mother.And in how Li-yan keeps thinking about her lost child.
As I said before the focus is on the Pu’er Tea. The process for making tea—from picking leaves to making tea cakes and tea cake wrappers.How a daily beverage gets into our cups ?
It’s the second book by Lisa See that I’ve read and appreciate as much as the first one. “Snowflower and the Secret Fan “narration of a lifelong friendship between two women in nineteenth-century China. And the secret language exclusively used by women in Hunan, China. I’ll write a review of it soon. There’s a lot more to be said.
If you want to get a glimpse into China in the nineteenth and twenteith century ,it's the perfect read.
Lisa See documents her trip to Yunnan mountains with a tea connoisseur in the site :
Have a good read and share with us your thoughts .
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