tiny genies: Chinese snuff bottles at the Met

In the first translation of the 1001 Nights, Aladdin and his magical genie actually came from 'a city of cities in China'. Our family's collection of snuff bottles, made of porcelain and red lacquer, seemed like just the kind of vessel that might contain a pocket-sized version of the wish-granting jinn.

Red lacquer bottle showing children at play
Metropolitan Museum of Art

A poem of seasonal observances: The Chinese Solar Terms

One of our favourite books is Liza Dalby's The Tale of Murasaki, a historical novel about the life of the famous writer of the Tale of Genji. Before she becomes Murasaki Shikibu, the book imagines the character of Fuji, a quiet but fiercely intelligent poet with a keen sensitivity for seasons and nature.

The Tale of Murasaki, Penguin Random House, 2001