Yun’s Solo Tea House

Let culture unite rather than separates us.

Background

I am a born and raised Eastern Asian with a bit of European connection. Former liberal Arts / Fashion student & social science graduate. Polyglot. Introvert. Socially awkward. A believer of manifestation. I lived in three countries in East Asia and four in Western and Southern Europe. Currently I’m an entrepreneur-to-be and am working on improving my Chinese calligraphy skills.

What you will find here?

Cultural talks, useful information, and beautiful and funny stories about cultural conducts, objects, art and more. Some of the content will be based on my own experiences living in these countries. Click different tea names for the corresponding cultural contents.

Why did I start this website

As a sort of global-trotter I have a fair share of racism experiences being a foreign resident. Most of these experiences were just stereotypes enhanced by the media. However, in 2025, some comments on people of my ethnicity and nationality from a group of people I considered to be on a benign term shook me from the bottom of my heart. In this country where I have tried to adhere to as many rules as possible and lower myself as much as possible to fit in, all I’ve gotten in the end was to have these people comfortably talking sh*t about me, my culture, and my countrymen in front of me. What kind of fitting in is this? Their views maybe partially true, and partially misinformed by the major media, but regardless, this kind of xenophobic rhetoric that is so common in the air in this society these days shook me. Ironically, this country has learned so much from my culture, but now I see textbook(s) from this country belittling the original art form from my country and praising their version of the art form. Is it necessary? Cultures are mutually influential throughout the history. Why do we have to fight over who is better than whom? Similarly, why did I have to lower myself for this society to accept me? I had been mad at this society, at some people, but I could not bring myself to be mad at the culture. Cultures should be innocent. Cultures should be beautiful, regardless of the geographical tensions. Hence I decided to write about my culture, the culture of all the places I have lived in. Let culture not be the victim of xenophobia.

Is it possible to talk about cultures without getting political?

It is easy to separate us by pointing out our cultural differences and creating stereotypes that may lead to racism. However, it is also possible to just make a nice cuppa, sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty different cultures can bring to our life. I believe that the latter gives us less emotional burdens and erase tensions between a whole lot of us.

Anything else?

For each article I will suggest a tea to accompany your reading journey.

Gentle reminders

This is not an academic source but I will try my best to provide the sources in the most appropriate manner. They may come in different languages. If anyone wants to quote anything from this website, please state the source. Thank you for your respect.