FROM BLOSSOMS:
The qi with lisa Li
Words by Sheila Lam, Photos by Casey Zhang
There's a city in the Yunnan Province of China that went by a traditional Tibetan name (སེམས་ཀྱི་ཉི་ཟླ།) meaning "royal plains". Today, we know it as Shangri-La. In the valley of earthly paradise, Lisa Li found a way to bring harmony to her overworked city life and honor a little part of her heritage. Founder of The Qi, a whole-flowering tea company based in New York City, Lisa works with local farmers and growers in China to purvey The Qi with the finest rose, chrysanthemum, and blue lotus flowers.
It's a testimony many of us, particularly after the past year, can attest to that after working for over ten years in the fashion industry, Lisa became overworked and fatigued. "I was at a point where I tried a lot of different supplements that I didn't enjoy, let alone made any difference," she said. "Because of my Eastern upbringing, I like my nourishment to come from natural places like teas and herbs which have existed as medicine in the East for thousands of years." After a transformative visit to Yunnan, considered the birthplace of tea with her mother, Lisa found the nourishment she was in search of. "It was nothing like I'd ever experienced in my life," she said. "It was just so beautiful."
As dried pink petals of rose or spindly digits of golden chrysanthemums begin to rehydrate in a cup of hot water, it's easy to get pulled into their mesmeric dance. Demanding moments of pause to appreciate the revitalization you see happening right in front of you is part and parcel of the holistic ritual of enjoying The Qi. Each of these hand-picked flowers balances out moods to a feeling of calm and relaxation. "I think holistic to me is just being aware of what's happening inside and around me," Lisa says. "What am I letting in in terms of mentally, emotionally, and physically? What I'm digesting or consuming, whether it's the news, food, or beverage that's affecting me? Life happens in those small moments. I think it's easy to overlook that, but if you figure out a way to be very aware of all of those things, it adds up to be a really big picture or a big life." But the benefits of these flowering teas go beyond simply that of the mind. High in vitamins A, C, E, iron, and calcium, the delicate aroma are masks for a powerful healing tonic that's been recognized by royal dynasties for an age.
The name Qi, sometimes written as chi, translates from Mandarin to mean air or breath. It is the circulating life force found in all matter and the focus of qi-gong, a practice that Lisa has been a student of for almost four years. "I read a lot of books with a traditional Eastern holistic wellness perspective and also Western. Spiritual self-help books. Anything on everything I could get my hands on, and I think it's so fascinating how language can be translated or not translated," she says. A woman of two cultures, The Qi is a reflection of both, tapping into the knowledge and experience of each. "When I came across these roses in Yunnan, I had to make it available. So that people at least know that it exists if you want to try it great! But at least now, you know that something so different and so unique it's out there."
