Jasmine Tea

by Eileen Chang

‘But how sweet a fruit the ‘suppose’ must be, that people will sup and sup on it! A juicy fruit, like a lychee but without the pit, sparkling and light green: a fruit that hides the tart within the sweet.’

In this haunting collection of stories, a young man’s obsession leads to tragedy and a woman’s bitterness poisons a family’s legacy. In delicate, piercing prose, Chang captures a world of quiet cruelties and calamitous desires in pre-revolutionary China.

Genres: Fiction, China, Short Stories, Classics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Eileen Chang is the English name for Chinese author 張愛玲, who was born to a prominent family in Shanghai (one of her great-grandfathers was Li Hongzhang) in 1920.

She went to a prestigious girls' school in Shanghai, where she changed her name from Chang Ying to Chang Ai-ling to match her English name, Eileen. Afterwards, she attended the University of Hong Kong, but had to go back to Shanghai when Hong Kong fell to Japan during WWII. While in Shanghai, she was briefly married to Hu Lancheng, the notorious Japanese collaborator, but later got a divorce.

After WWII ended, she returned to Hong Kong and later immigrated to the United States in 1955. She married a scriptwriter in 1956 and worked as a screenwriter herself for a Hong Kong film studio for a number of years, before her husband's death in 1967. She moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1972 and became a hermit of sorts during her last years. She passed away alone in her apartment in 1995.

Reviews

[ahya | ahyascottage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasmine Tea: 4.5⭐️
The Golden Cangue: DNF
Traces of Love: 3⭐️

[Linnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8⭐️
Before diving into it, I think one should have a basic grasp of the period it was written in—along with Chinese culture.

[风花 · Rating 5 out of 5]

看的是百岁诞辰纪念版那册《惘然记》，编的是张爱玲的散文，读的时候可以明显地发现，张爱玲并不是远走美国之后就对中国的事情“两眼一抹黑”，从此再也不管了，其实她依然在关注中国的新闻，就像是偶尔在散文中戏谑提到的批斗、武斗。张爱玲的“全球”视野自然不必再多提，无论是读书抑或是吃食，张爱玲都有自己独特的品评视角，同时，张从来也没有把自己的读书范围锁定在“文学”一隅，甚至她也同时是个人类学爱好者，还在散文中提到了马林诺夫斯基。书后最后一篇附的《年画风格的太平春》一文，以“梁京”的笔名发表于1950年上海《亦报》，评的电影《太平春》是当时的一部“试图向人性靠拢的主旋律革命左派电影”，张爱玲在写这篇影评的时候也写出来了“与群众合拍”这种话语，既可以视作张在那个时期中的真心实意（主动向“人民群众”靠拢（向党靠拢）），也反映了当时“主旋律”话语的霸权性质（不服从者不得食）。

[val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three short stories nestled within this anthology, my favourite by far was Traces of Love (留情). Although Jasmine Tea and The Golden Cangue were both intriguing, I wasn't the biggest fan of the story that was told; both were about generational trauma and its repercussions, and I admired how Chang approached the narrative, but it just didn't pique my interest. Traces of Love, however, had just the right amount of longing; of denial; of grief, and the process of reconciling with one's grief. It's a perfect short story; it tells you nothing and everything all at once. Anyways, everything rounds down to a solid four-star rating :D

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasmine Tea was probably the best of the trio of short stories in this, as well as the most dramatic. I did also enjoy Traces of Love. The Golden Cangue felt a little out of place maybe, I found the characters in it the most difficult to understand of the the three stories. I had never read any of Eileen Chang’s works before this and I’m not sure this was the best place to start. However, I did enjoy it overall.

[Zahrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selection of short stories - The Golden Cangue was a marvellous story of a troubled, traditional multi-generational household, and a difficult read if you have difficult family members like the Third Mistress. Definitely want to pick up more Penguin Archive titles!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite beautifully written, but the second (and longest) story was a bit of a struggle.

[Nuwan Dabare · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this book found me when I needed them most.

I cried or felt a sense of familiarity with all three: Jasmine Tea, The Golden Cangue, and Traces of Love.

To be clear, much of the pleasure I derived from reading these short stories came from projecting my own struggles and identity onto them. Regardless, I am glad this book ended with Traces of Love. I read that piece as a story of two people finding an imperfect peace after difficult times. Its imperfection made the story feel human, and after reading the emotionally challenging Golden Cangue, I thought it was an excellent reward to the reader.

[Bhargavi.lawbookskettlebells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are the characters unlikable? Yes. Is the main novella (The Golden Canque) as filled with toxicity as Wuthering Heights, and then some? Yes. Are other other two stories equally full of flawed, dysfunctional people and relationships? Yes. Did I "enjoy" it? I don't know, I think so. Was I mesmerized? Hell, yes!

I think it would help if you look up the author's bio and have a vague idea of China's historical context during this period. Not mandatory, of course, but that layer adds a poignant undertone to all the on-pafe meanness.

[Filipa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting collection of stories. The first one got me really hooked, however the second one kinda lost me, especially in the middle. I liked how we were jumping from character to characters but I just couldn’t seem to be interested in them. At the end it kinda piqued my interest again. The last one was also very good, probably my favorite. The writing was absolutely beautiful in all of them and now I’m excited to read a full length novel from the author.

[Jazzemaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my cup of tea :(
2. short story DNF, bin eifach nid dricho.
die ersti short story findi no am beste.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rated under Love in a Fallen City bindup

[Ry-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Penguin Archive version, which includes Jasmine Tea, the Golden Cangue, and Traces of Love by Eileen Chang. Really wanted to love it, but it just wasn't for me.

[Emily & daughter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A particularly dreary collection of short stories, but the last few pages sang.

Interested in reading more like Traces of Love!

[Kayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Aarani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quietly sultry and tragic collection, Chang’s uniquely feminine observations and intimacies stand out in literary canon.

[Marcela · Rating 3 out of 5]

me gustó más the golden cangue y jasmine tea, traces of love not so much

[user061219 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crying boy