tours
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Culture Spotlight: These are not your grocery store mums
I’ll be honest—I didn’t always get the hype about chrysanthemums. That changed the first autumn I worked at Lan Su Chinese Garden. I walked into the garden one crisp morning and found myself surrounded by chrysanthemums in every imaginable form…
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Culture Spotlight: No Kicks, Just Cups: The Joy of Gong Fu Tea
When people hear Gong Fu, their minds often jump to martial arts, but here there are no flying kicks involved. In the world of tea, gong fu (功夫) means “skill through effort.” It’s not about combat, but about care: The art of brewing tea with patience, focus, and heart. Every pour is a gentle reminder…
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Culture Spotlight: The Moon Rabbit Who Hopped Across Cultures
In the Chinese version of the story, the moon rabbit (月兔, also known as the jade rabbit 玉兔) is more than a pretty picture in the sky. The Jade Emperor once disguised himself as a poor old man and begged food from the animals. The monkey brought fruit, the fox brought fish, but the rabbit…