My personal style signifier is a headscarf; I own at least a dozen in different colours and materials. The one I currently wear most is blue and grey, made from a wool and silk blend – they have to be a bit stiff to hold their shape. I tie mine in a knot at the front. I was born in Yibin, a major tea-producing area on the Yangtze River in China, where women wear these scarves to protect their heads from the humid climate essential to tea cultivation. The hairline is a vulnerable part of the body, and my mother gave me a good tip for staving off colds: when you feel one coming on, blow hot air around your hairline with a hair-dryer. It works. You feel an ecstatic sensation, particularly on the two acupuncture points at the back of the neck.
The last thing I bought and loved was a black canvas crossbody bag with blue and yellow poppies embroidered on it. It was made by a local craftsman in a market in India, where I attended the Jaipur Literature Festival in January. The interior is divided into three sections: one for my passport, credit card and cash; one for my glasses, keys, a pen and my mobile; the third for a small umbrella, tissues and Voce Gola lozenges.
Her black canvas crossbody bag embroidered with blue and yellow poppies, bought in a Jaipur market © Sirui Ma
