Tea Leaf Nation

I have hundreds of memories of the ceremony, the earliest of which took place in the playground of my elementary school: A dirt opening ringed with cypresses and gingko trees, a small brick-and-concrete platform, and a shining flag pole. Every Monday morning, the school gathered on the playground after second period, belting out the national [...]

In third grade, I had my first private English tutoring lesson. My teacher was a 21-year old English major at Peking University. “Say ‘Thank you.’ Xie xie—Thank you.” “S…ank you.” “It’s not ‘sank you.’” She leaned over, tucking a strand of her glossy black hair behind her ear: “Th—ank you. Stick your tongue out, between [...]