From nail-polish flowers to mud crackers, improvisation was key in the countryside where Chinese children’s games and fun often came in the form of random scrap or things provided by nature.
Growing up in Pengjiacao village in Ningbo, the Fu sisters—now 58 and 63 years old—still have a vivid recollection of the games they used to play as children. Improvisation was key back in the day and childhood fun often came in the form of random scrap found lying around in the village or plants taken straight from the fields.
“Nowadays parents take kids to attractions inside malls, like those 4D animation rides. But in the countryside, we had so much fun for real, for free,” says Fu Jufen, the older sister.
A popular form of free fun revolved around garden balsam, better known as the “nail-polish flower.” Made into a paste and mixed with minerals, this concoction can be applied to your fingernails, which are then wrapped in bean leaves and tied with yarn before you go to sleep, resembling zongzi glutinous rice wraps. The next morning, your nails glow orange.
Wang Lin is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese who aspires to tell fresh stories about life, arts and culture in China—no prejudice, no clichés. Her writing has appeared on Nikkei Asia, the South China Morning Post, RADII, and elsewhere. She was born in Ningbo, a bustling port known for its dumplings and seafood.
