Mariella
asked
Lisa See:
I am thrilled that your next novel includes one of the ethnic minorities of China. I understand there are many different ethnic minorities within China that are rarely spoken of or written about in the Western world. Can you speak a little about your research process into the Akha culture and why you were drawn to them? Thanks so much!
Lisa See
Great question! It's easy to think of China as having just one big group of people, but there are 56 different ethnic minorities. Even within those catagories, there are smaller sub-groups. For my next book, I'm writing about puer tea in Yunnan province. There are many different ethnic minorities involved in tea growing and processing there. As I did the research, I kept being drawn to the Akha, which are catagorized as part of the Hani. Then, when I went to China, I met an incredible and inspiring young woman who was Akha. She told such wonderful stories that I decided then and there that I would write about the Akha.
More Answered Questions
Kimberly Adam
asked
Lisa See:
Can you tell me more about your research into ethnic minorities for The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane? My daughter, who was adopted from China, is part of an ethnic minority group and although it's not the minority described in the book, she also has a different look and comes from a very remote part of her province. The whole book has felt so familiar to me that I wonder if you have cameras in my home!
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