The Face of Privilege

By Sparrow Yeh

The face of privilege first showed itself to us in the misted windows of Mr. Chen’s rusty pickup truck, doors ajar in front of Yunnan’s Lincang Airport. Accustomed to our private drivers and Shanghai’s air-conditioned cabs, our team greets the enthusiastic Mr. Chen with embarrassed gratitude. This strange mix of wonder and acknowledgement intensified with every minute spent on the 3 hour road trip up the mountainous Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang, and Dai Autonomous County, where uneven dirt roads met post-landslide drainage, until; we reached our destination: Xiasohusai village. Situated on the topmost peak of Mangzhi mountain, Xiaohusai is home to approximately 300 residents (primarily ethnic Lahu and Wa minority groups), including Mr. Chen and his family of four.

Upon our arrival, we were surprised to find the table already set, a sumptuous welcome meal laid out for the team: steamed rice still hot from the cooker, spiced bamboo shoots, and a large boiled river trout. Among the glamour of the pots and pans in the kitchen, seen to by the skillful Ms. Chen, we learned that the children of our sponsorship program were thriving under the bipartisan influence of the improved town infrastructure and sponsored education courtesy of our program.

Later, joined by the Mayor of the Xiaohusai township, we discussed our future plans for the children of Xiaohusai over tea. Of particular interest was the case of Zhang Liu Yi, a previous beneficiary of our team who recently moved out with her mother to the city due to unforeseen circumstances. Seeing as she no longer needs our funding, we discussed alternatives, finally deciding to use the funds by installing streetlights for the township. Satisfied with the outcome, the cohort retired for the night, looking forward to a productive second day.

The sun rose early in Lincang, and the dewy foliage, peppered by the occasional grasshopper, served as a refreshing backdrop for our breakfasting teammates. Amid the birdsong and buzz of cicadas, we mapped out our itinerary for the day so that we would be clear on the order of the families we were to visit. Invigorated by the morning air, we set out to our first household: the Hua family. The hospitable Huas served us Pu’er tea and a rich spread of vibrant fruits before leading us to their two daughters, Yong Xiu and Yong Lan. Having been beneficiaries of Xiaohusai since 2023, the Huas described their current day-to-day routine to us, which seem to be both industrious yet fraught with hardship. School has treated the Hua sisters well, and academics proved little challenge to these two bright young minds. Travelling from home to school, however, was another story: the three-hour car ride from mountaintop to school would frequently be lengthened by the occasional downpour or roadblock due to subpar infrastructure. We reassured them that the upcoming streetlights may alleviate some of the negatives, then had a brief chat with the girls before moving on to the Chen household. There, we repeated the procedure, enthralled by the enthusiasm of the young Fa Min and Fa Chang, brother and sister, who peppered us with questions about Shanghai life. With the needs of both families noted down, we retired back to Mr. Chen’s house for dinner and sleep.

The third and last day was perhaps the most physically taxing one throughout our trip. The afternoon sun scorched our backs as we marched out single file, tea-picking baskets strapped to our backs as we followed Mr. Chen’s lead into the mountains. The slippery concrete underfoot gave way to unstable mud slopes which in turn led us to rows and rows of cramped tea trees, their leaves given an oily sheen from the glint of the harsh sunlight. We toiled away for less than an hour before retreating from exhaustion, tailing an ever-sympathetic Mr. Chen, whose already filled tea basket formed a stark contrast to our shallow ones.  Adjourning for lunch, the team met again on the rooftop. Amidst the grating rumble of tea cooking machinery, Mr. Chen gave us a glimpse into the impressive everyday practices of someone in the organic tea profession by allowing us to try cooking the tea with him. The process was hard: every flip of the tea leaves needed to be precise and calculated, every scrunch of the product a determinant of its final quality.

As we packed our bags on the final evening, the scent of sun-warmed tea leaves still clinging to our clothes, the weight of Xiaohusai’s quiet generosity settled upon us. Privilege, we realized, had not been erased by mud-streaked jeans or aching shoulders—it had merely been transformed. In the Chen family’s selfless hospitality, in the mayor’s pragmatic hope, in the children’s questions about a world beyond the mountains, we glimpsed a reciprocity far richer than philanthropy.

When Mr. Chen drove us back to Lincang Airport, the same rusty truck now felt like a chariot. The misted windows no longer obscured our view—they framed it. Somewhere between the first sip of Pu’er and the last handshake, we’d learned that privilege, at its best, isn’t a shield from hardship, but a bridge built of shared labor. And bridges, like tea leaves, grow stronger when tended by many hands.

Back in Shanghai, the city’s neon glow would never feel quite the same.