The Chaoyang Trap Gift Guide
Getting tea drunk + Great Resignation starter pack + Old Heaven, fresh hell + glou glous for the discoteca + Kwei’chow product placement + BLNKIN LARK
In the house this week: Everyone!
Krish: Happy holidays! From Christmas and the Gregorian New Year to my birthday and the Lunar New Year, we’re now officially in the gift zone stretch of the calendar.
With our group chat now scattered across six time zones (miss you all), this Gift Guide is what the Chaoyang Trap Christmas Party would have featured if we were all together. =(
So in no particular order, here are our favourite China-related gifts for the season. We hope you discover something interesting!
████, Carson: Artisanal Pu’er Tea
Ships globally
I’ve gotten alarmingly into tea over the last few years, after going with Carson to the Maliandao tea market in Beijing and getting incredibly tea drunk with high-end pu’er wholesalers. (Seriously: I never believed this before but “tea drunk” is absolutely a real thing and can hit like an indica.)
After experiencing that, I haven’t really wanted to drink much of anything else—and fortunately, good Chinese teas are also now increasingly accessible outside of the country, thanks to a handful of small-scale vendors that curate some of the best varieties and ship them abroad.
It’s easy to get into incredibly nerdy (and expensive) territory quickly though. If you’re gifting somebody that doesn’t want to get into a whole “thing” drinking endless tiny cups of tea brewed out of a gaiwan and is more likely to sip from a big mug at work, then white2tea offers some great choices. Most of the cheaper pu’er won’t get you very tea drunk, but still tastes great. They have a USD $20 cake of ripe (think: dark, rich, soft and sweet) pu’er which can be broken off into single-serving chunks without a tea knife. Or if they like something stronger, get them a cake of bitter, smoky, astringent raw pu’er. White tea, which is processed slightly differently and brews better at lower temps, offers a softer, lighter, brighter fragrance, and taste. Try a sampler from a few different regions. It’s especially good cold-brewed in a jug overnight in the summer.
(Note: If you’re in China, their WeChat mini program is called “white2tea.”)
Simon: I sampled some white2tea ripe pu’er after seeing a draft of this gift guide, and I can confirm that it is really, really good—so good I barely slept last night.
Yan: Feminist Gifting on Taobao
China only
According to my Taobao history, I bought nine tote bags with the slogan “女权主义者长这样” (“This is what a feminist looks like”) from Xiao Meili’s Taobao shop over the span of two years. I’ve lost track of whom I gave these tote bags to, but it speaks to how good they—or literally anything from Xiao Meili’s shop—are as gifts: nicely designed, inexpensive, and you support a feminist cause.
Xiao has been a prominent figure in the feminist scene in China since 2010s. She was involved in so many campaigns that we could dedicate an entire issue just on her feminist activism and art practice. I always saw the Taobao shop as an outlet for her artistic expression, as most of the products are designed, or carefully sourced, by her. It is also how she makes a living.
In May this year, an online mob attacked Xiao for posting a video of a man who poured hot pot dipping oil on her after she confronted him about smoking inside a restaurant. This weird series of events led to a right wing mob reporting her products to the platform as being “discriminatory,” leading to most of her social media accounts being deleted. (Listen to her talking about the incident here.) People who supported Xiao, including myself, bought products from her shop to show solidarity.
My favorites from her shop are these cute, colorful knitted items made by another feminist Zheng Churan’s mother:
The “女权主义者长这样” tote bags are no longer available in the shop, but you can buy your passionate feminist friend a t-shirt with the same message on the front. I also found a “sister shop” selling basically the same products. I can’t help but wonder if this is a back-up plan in case one day the main shop is shut down…but for now, enjoy the guilt-free, feminist-approved consumerism!
Yi-Ling: Spin Ceramics
China only
As someone who spends most of my time as a dislocated head, body and fingers typing on a keyboard, producing words on a screen, nothing gets me going than something that I can palm in my hands, and reminds me of its weight and heft.
Spin Ceramics, based in Beijing and Shanghai, works directly with artists based in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital (I am antsily preparing my trip there in some near or distant future) to make vases, cups, teapots, trays, and they are gorgeous. I’ve gifted family, friends, and recently, myself, two ebony-colored espresso cups, which I love to sip from, either solo after a break from writing, or with my partner by the window on a quiet Sunday morning.
Krish: Chinese comics, Anti-work Zines
China only but Paradise Systems ships some of these globally
The Beijing comic book store Wooden Bird (木鸟) is nothing less than a miracle, and I would strongly recommend any Beijinger reading this to visit, support, and buy from them. You’ll find everything from the new Michael Deforge (very good) and Breakdown Press’ manga reissues (amazing) to zines from the Beijing scene (check out 润德’s bizarro minis). They are truly among the best comic book stores anywhere in the world, and they buy direct from small presses!
Wooden Bird has introduced me to many, many incredible Chinese indie comic books, and my gifting recommendation for this season is gantea’s 南公园 (The South Park), a quiet story about aging, urban transformation, and dislocation. It’s bilingual and comes in a gorgeous riso-printed package.
Anti-work is the mood of the season in China just like everywhere else. The zine maker 无碘盐 (Non-Iodized Salt) makes hilarious guides to slacking off on the job; the comic artist Nini (拔丝拟泥) explains why booze is so important; and Wechat sticker artist SUAN (酸球) offers an entire kit in a briefcase to prevent you from working too hard.
Finally, if, like me, you need 22g of coffee a day to function normally, the Weidian store Sockbird (小袜鸟) offers monthly subscription boxes with beans carefully sourced from roasters around the world. They’re really nice!
Simon: Old Heaven Books (and Natural Wine)
Mostly online
Most of my recommendations are connected to what might be my favorite store in China: Old Heaven Books in Shenzhen.
A bookstore/café with a very strong music section, Old Heaven Books offers an antidote to the dematerialization of retail in China. You could hypothetically walk in, pick up a CD edition of a 90s Chinese rock classic, a cassette by a new indie band, and a record, either a single by a club producer or a reissue of an album by a Japanese free jazz artist. None of these items are super difficult to obtain in China if you have money and a Taobao account, but to find them in the same physical shop, where a kind of dialogue or continuum between them is suggested, is sadly too rare. If you’re in Shenzhen or happen to be able to visit Southern China in the coming months, I highly recommend a visit.
The same people behind the bookstore organize Shenzhen’s Tomorrow Festival for experimental music and run an in-house label, which is on Bandcamp. They’re notable supporters of ethnic Kazakh musician Mamer and his band IZ—so if any of your loved ones are into dark Central Asian psychedelic industrial folk…you know where to look. A recent release features Mamer’s remix of “My Skate Shoes” by Shaanxi outsider pop musician Joseeh Punmanlon. Working in a tighter rhythmic grid than his usual more organic style, Mamer creates something that sounds like an experimental synth pop jam that Mute Records would have released in the 80s. Available as a mini-cd (and possibly 7" vinyl single soon) on Old Heaven Books’ Taobao store.
I sometimes often worry that translating and editing art texts has melted my brain, so on my most recent visit to Old Heaven Books over the summer, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I was enjoying flipping through a copy of Paan, a journal of “Asian history, culture and political issues.” As a well-designed art world-adjacent publication, Paan seemed to avoid the pitfalls of many of its peers by more directly exploring historical issues, rather than offering somewhat arbitrary artistic investigations of the same topics. Available through Shanghai art bookstore Bananafish’s Weidian.
As an unrelated aside, natural wine has kind of blown up in China over the past two years, having barely existed here pre-pandemic. It’s an interesting sociological phenomenon in its own right, which I’m sure everyone here could discuss at length.
Ignoring the broader social implications for a second, I’ve been enjoying sampling some locally grown Ningxia “glou glou” through WineWave (自然浪潮), a WeChat mini program recently launched by some familiar faces from the club scene.
Caiwei: Customized Qipaos
Beijing only
I first came across Suyifang (素衣坊) in Beijing’s Lama Temple area, when I was on a vintage hunt in Dongcheng. My predilection for ultra-feminine form-fitting clothing drove me to 80s vintage dresses, and one day I realized qipaos share the exact same aesthetic.
Unlike stores that oversell the traditional aspects of qipao, or those that build their brand on its exclusivity, Suyifang has an unassuming storefront and the most classic of mom-and-pop tailor store models. This type of tailor used to be common in China (my grandparents used to own one), but grew nearly extinct as I grew up.
There is an undiluted joy to be found in my childhood tailor store visits—I got to pick my favorite print fabric, and see them being transformed into garments as a sewing machine hums.
At Suyifang, you can request any imaginable adjustments to a qipao to suit the occasion you have in mind.
From the length of the skirt, length of the sleeve to how high the slit goes, the design is all up to you. You can also hand-pick a fabric of your choice and a lining to go with it, or a ready-to-wear qipao and get it alternated to your BWH. The most amazing part? All of these only cost approximately 500-800 RMB.
I know this might not be a conventional gift choice, but it would definitely be a worthy experience for a special loved one or just to reward yourself! Also, what can be more perfect to wear during the upcoming Chinese New Year than a qipao?
Zoe: Guizhou Red Sour Broth
China only, but ask around!
I have recently developed an obsession with Guizhou food, specifically for 红酸汤 or “red sour broth.” Sour and spicy are the two signature flavors of the soup but the quintessence of this broth is its light touch of aromas from 木姜子油 (litsea oil). The fermented soup base has chopped red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, litsea oil, and a splash of Kweichow Moutai (no wonder it tastes so good!). Its taste reminds me of fresh tomatoes, pickled vegetables, the scent of lemongrass, and a slight pungency like mature cheese. If you have never tried it, think about the flavor of Tom Yum with a twist of fermentation or vodka sauce?
Guizhou sour broth is supposed to be the soup base for cooking hot pot fish, but it can be added to any kind of soup or stir fry (based on my personal cooking experience). With several spoons added in, dishes miraculously turn into delicacies. It’s irresistible.
It’s pretty easy to purchase on Taobao—any local Guizhou brand will do. A friend from Guizhou told me that homemade sour broth is usually kept in Coca-Cola bottles, so I superstitiously believe in the authenticity of bottled ones. As an exotic seasoning, the red sour broth is extremely affordable at about USD $4 per bottle on average.
Caiwei: This is so good (I can attest), and for those in NYC you can order the red soup base through Freshgogo!
Zoe: Apart from the gift ideas, I just want to add that…in my opinion, Guizhou food is the most underrated Chinese cuisine. Let me rephrase this bold conclusion—I believe everything in Guizhou is underrated and it is indeed THE “hidden treasure” province of China. Please visit! You will be amazed and, of course, relatively less likely to be overwhelmed by influencers and tourist groups posing for photo shoots.
Aaron & Sasha (Open Sesame): Taobao Gift Guide
China only
Just in time for the holiday season, we here at Open Sesame took a special visit to Santa’s true workshop—Taobao, natch—to dig up some of our favorite gifts available on the world’s best and wildest shopping app.
These LED signs are amazing. If you happen to be in China you should absolutely snap them up because they’re way more expensive abroad. You can connect to them with your phone to set any text, color, animation or pattern you want and give your home that bank/copy shop/cheap market look.
If you’re a believer in TCM, these socks are a useful shortcut to regulating all kinds of bodily functions. f you’re not a believer, then you’ve just got a pair of socks that look fly as hell. The perfect gift for everybody!
We got this cabbage blanket as a gift years ago and have used it faithfully ever since. Who knew a vegetable could be so warm?
Need a speaker? Need a cool light? Good news, this one’s both! We brought it to every single party we threw since we got it and discovered that it can make literally any lame room seem cool.
A faithful recreation of the famous police poster found outside every third-tier city Helen’s, we don’t think any phone case has ever earned us as many compliments as this one did.
A true classic, misspelled Minutes to Midnight Linkin Park shirts are now weirdly hard to find on Taobao. Lucky for you, we did the hunting necessary to find this gem. Get one now and party like it’s 2016!
Christina: Dank Snacks
(Mostly) Global
My one and only true coping mechanism for riding the waves of the pandemic is anxious snacking, and these are the ones that feel worthy to be gifted to my dearest friends:
Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp - I was once a Lao Gan Ma devotee, but this is superior in every dimension except price. You can even save the jar and turn it into a sichuan peppercorn candle. Ships internationally from the US.
Yun Hai Dried Irwin Mango - Truly the most delicious dried mango I’ve ever had, and seasoned with a generous pinch of geopolitical nonsense to boot. Ships internationally from the US.
Té Company Pineapple Linzer Cookies - I have never gifted these to someone and not seen lifelong loyalty in their eyes after the first bite.
…and Finally: The Chaoyang Trap Self Promotion Section
Sasha & Aaron’s Open Sesame Magazine, about the weird and wonderful world of Taobao, is available to buy on Weidian.
Yan (along with Beimeng Fu and Ye Charlotte Ming) writes Far & Near, a substack on visual storytelling in China. She also has some work in the new Tofu Collective photobook Rooms Within China.
Chairperson Jaime interviewed artist Ho Tzu Nyen for the new issue of Spike Art Magazine.
Simon Frank’s latest album, on the label Absurd Trax, is available now on Bandcamp.
Krish’s comic on the history of reggae in China is now showing at the Times Art Museum in Guangzhou, and is available to buy as a (bilingual) zine.
Tianyu: That’s it for this episode, and for 2021! Thank you all for enduring through our…*checks notes* 85,370 words. 😳
We couldn’t have asked for better readers, and your support means the world to our little, scattered group. We have one last surprise that might come from our 年会 this weekend (yes), but more on that next time.
We hope our gift of discourse was useful. Happy holidays, and see you in 2022!