Eric
asked
Lisa See:
In your Author's Note for The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, you say, "When the novel starts, in 1988, tea leaves picked in the mountains of Yunnan sold for 4 yuan a kilo (approx. 50 cents US in today's money). The yearly income for tea farmers averaged 200 yuan (around $25 US) a month." When converting yuan to USD, did you use currency exchange rates or purchasing power parity?
Lisa See
I looked up the currency exchange rates for that year. I looked up the exchange rates for every year that I wrote about, so the numbers shift throughout the novel.
More Answered Questions
Linda
asked
Lisa See:
Hi, Lisa - Our book group is having a Pu'er tea tasting Mon., Nov. 5, for our discussion of "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane," which is my personal favorite (with "Snow Flower" a very close second). What's your favorite kind of tea? I'd love to surprise our group with a tasting of what you yourself enjoy. Thank you for so many fascinating glimpses of a fascinating culture. Linda L.
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