交集 ｜ The Yanhuoqi (烟火气) in Our Life
By Yang Zitong
Yanhuoqi(烟火气)–The unique word that captures the essence of bustling Chinese street life.
·Vocabulary Lessons·
In spring 2020, Chinese people went through a tough period. COVID-19 had spread during the Spring Festival, and people were forced to stay at home. If people wanted to go out, they had to wear a face mask all the time. As a result, personal interactions between people were limited, and you could hardly see people walking along the street. Chinese economic growth decreased a lot, and many stores had to close because they could not afford the rent. However, as the situation improved, the government lifted the ban on the “street-stall economy (地摊经济),” meaning that merchants could freely sell their products along the street again. The Chinese Premier of the State Council called this kind of economy “yanhuoqi of the world (人间烟火气),” and believed that it would bring Chinese economic growth to a new level (People’s Daily, 2020).
credit: https://www.kuaisougongwen.com/bgcy-kszy-200615103746423.html
The reason why the Chinese Premier described the street-stall economy as the “yanhuoqi of the world (人间烟火气)” is that the word “yanhuoqi (烟火气)” is frequently used by Chinese people in their writings and poems and has particular cultural meanings. In this article I will explain the meaning of the mysterious word yanhuoqi, the specific cultural beliefs behind it, and why it is worth knowing about.
When we talk about yanhuoqi, a Chinese person may think of the smoke coming out of a family’s chimney or the white smoke after lighting firecrackers. That is the most common literal meaning of the word. However, it does not simply refer to smoke. Let’s imagine a small store selling breakfast on the street. The owner of the store is frying breadsticks and eggs while the customers are waiting in line chatting with each other. Their conversation topics can jump from the fabulous taste of the fried breadsticks to each other’s family issues. If you were to take a picture of it, it might be one of the most heartwarming photos of Chinese daily life. Just as the smoke coming out of the chimney can be called yanhuoqi, so can the smoke from the pot frying breadsticks and eggs, and the word yanhuoqi can also describe the heartwarming feeling that this scene creates.
credit: https://m.zcool.com.cn/work/ZNDIzMDAwOTI=.html
Another scene with smoke can also be described with the word yanhuoqi. Chinese people often light firecrackers during the Spring Festival, and every time firecrackers are lit, white smoke spreads in the air. The noisy scene of family members lighting firecrackers and playing in the smoke together reminds us of warmth and happiness, and this is also a type of yanhuoqi. You might therefore understand why the government allowed the revival of the street-stall economy, and why the Chinese Premier called it “yanhuoqi in our life (人间烟火气).” The street-stall economy is one of the most important sources of vitality in our daily lives.
If we dive deep into the meaning of the word yanhuoqi, it can also refer to the sense of belonging to a group or a warm ambiance when talking with others
credit: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1684497584571501311&wfr=spider&for=pc
In this kind of interaction, people no longer use complex and greasy social communication skills. Instead, they behave casually and sincerely because they are not motivated by self-interest and desire for material gain. That is why I say that the sense of belonging to a group is also a kind of yanhuoqi. People are born to be alone, but sincere and harmonious relationships can make us feel that we are not just surviving but living full, rich lives.
Yanhuoqi can also be used as an adjective to describe a thing or person. If we use it to describe a town or street, it means that the lifestyle there is lively and intimate. It has a similar meaning when used to describe people. In Chinese business culture there are serious hierarchies, and the boss or leader always has the highest social status and seems distant from ordinary employees. However, we sometimes hear people saying “这个领导很有烟火气”—“this boss has a lot of yanhuoqi”—meaning that he or she is approachable and down-to-earth.
I chose to write about yanhuoqi because I believe that it is a cultural keyword in China. Professor Marianna Pogosyan (2017) has argued that a cultural keyword is a word that is “salient, ubiquitous and untranslatable, and reflects a country’s values.” Although this word might not be ubiquitous since it is seldom used in daily conversation, it has been frequently used in writing since ancient times, and it embraces the other two features of cultural keywords: salient and untranslatable. A classical poet named Zhao Shishao used it in a poem: “cut off the yanhuoqi in the world” (断得世间烟火气),” and Wang Zengqi, a contemporary Chinese writer, used the it to describe food: “Food is nothing but a bowl of yanhuoqi (四方食事，不过一碗人间烟火).” Besides literary writing, yanhuoqi often appears in news articles. For instance, the People’s Daily has recently released an article entitled “Get more Yanhuoqi (多些烟火气)” to encourage people to experience more yanhuoqi in their lives.
credit: https://www.sohu.com/a/488020460_121218110
So why is this word so popular, and why are newspapers encouraging Chinese people to care about yanhuoqi? That is the second reason why I chose to discuss this word. We live in a society where people spend a lot of time on the Internet. With the development of new technologies, the pace of life is getting faster and faster. For people in urban areas, the center of life is their work. Some work from day to night non-stop. Maybe they are gaining precious working experience and high wages, but they are losing something at the same time. Spending too much time on the Internet or working means spending less time with family members or close friends. Gradually, relationships with family members and friends may become cold and distant. In this case, we particularly need yanhuoqi, as it stands for ordinary daily interactions, reminding us of the role we play in our families and prompting us to cherish the people around us. A casual conversation with neighbors, small talk with close friends, conversations with parents and children, even eye contact with a kind stranger can make people feel like they are alive. All these have a close connection with the word yanhuoqi. This small word can have a great impact on people’s lifestyle, particularly nowadays.
In conclusion, we all need yanhuoqi in our life. It represents memories of ordinary moments and the sense of belonging to a specific group, and it helps us know what to cherish and how to live a better life. Especially when people all over the world are suffering from COVID-19, when borders are still closed and connections between people are harder to achieve than usual, maintaining yanhuoqi is of great significance. I sincerely hope we can keep yanhuoqi alive in our world.
Editors | Hiba Laabadli
Layout | Lexue Song 宋乐雪
Website | Josh Manto
Who is Yang Zitong?
Hi Everyone! My Chinese name is Zitong Yang（杨梓桐）and my English name is Tanya. I come from Anhui, Hefei and really love learning English, traveling and taking photographs.
