Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse - Centre for Transcultural ...



Sweet Mandarin

Helen Tse and her two sisters, Lisa and Janet have opened the award winning restaurant Sweet Mandarin. Helen is also the gifted author of Sweet Mandarin, an inspirational family autobiography recently published worldwide by Random House. The following excerpt is from a press release written by Helen Tse …

From 1920s rural China to the bustle of colonial pre-Second World War Hong Kong and present-day Manchester; from poverty and murder to Triad associations, gambling addictions, alcoholism, bankruptcy and the isolation of being an immigrant family - each successive generation of the Tse family has been rocked by both international social and politcal upheaval and a rollercoaster of personal challenges. Battling against circumstances and often a traditional, male-dominated society, it fell to the strong women of each generation to overcome the odds and rescue the family. Extraordinary and moving, Sweet Mandarin is the story of their battle for survival and of the one thread that was their lifeline – food.

“I was taught a great deal of what it is to be a Chinese woman in the kitchen at my mother and my grandmother’s side. Cooking is at the heart of the Chinese family and for a Chinese woman it is at the very core of her identity.”

Born into brutal poverty in rural China in 1918, it was her father’s successful soy sauce business that enabled Lily Kwok (the author’s grandmother) to emigrate to a better life in Hong Kong. However his success soon attracted jealousy, leading to his murder by a competitor. Determined not to let her family return to destitution with the loss of their patriarch, Lily trained as an amah to a wealthy English family. Indispensable, especially for her delicious cooking, she accompanied them on their return to England (escaping her gambling, Triad-member husband, although heartbreakingly having to leave her beloved children behind in Hong Kong). Desperately seasick on the voyage she found comfort for her upset stomach working in the ship’s kitchen. There she perfected her famous chicken curry recipe and met friends with whom she would go on to set up the first Chinese restaurant in Manchester.

"Over half the book documents the hidden history of the North West of England."

Overcoming the prejudice of locals, Lily founded a popular restaurant and earned enough money to bring her daughter, Mabel, over from Hong Kong. Mabel continued in the family business yet just as she had given birth to her twin daughters, Helen and Lisa, her husband and mother’s gambling addiction lead to bankruptcy. Undaunted, she and her husband turned once again to the saviour of food, opening a successful fish and chip shop and then Chinese takeaway. In 2004, Helen and Lisa, along with their sister Janet, completed the cycle. Despite achieving high flying professional careers, they returned to their culinary roots to open the award winning Sweet Mandarin restaurant in Manchester, where they still serve Lily Kwok’s Chicken Curry.

Poignant and touching, Sweet Mandarin tells the story of the remarkable journey of this family of courageous women. The first ever memoir from a British–born Chinese woman, it also addresses the questions of Chinese heritage, immigration and working in the restaurant trade like no other book before it. Just like the Chinese cooking that has bound their family together across generations, it blends the sweet and the sour to create a moving account of triumph against all the odds. This book is being adopted worldwide by schools as part of the English and Chinese lessons. For a copy of the study guide, please go to

Helen Tse

Helen and her identical twin Lisa were born in 1977 and grew up in Manchester UK. Helen's passion for writing began whilst studying law at Cambridge University. She worked as a finance and tax lawyer for Clifford Chance in London and Hong Kong, and with PricewaterhouseCoopers where she won the Young Accountant of the Year Award 2006 for her work on helping companies invest in China.

Her passions are food, business and people. These interests have propelled Helen and her two sisters, Lisa and Janet Tse to open an award winning restaurant Sweet Mandarin in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and to follow in their mother’s and grandmother's footsteps. Together, they have appeared on ITV Granada, BBC radio and featured in numerous press and magazine articles on topics ranging from women in business, food, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, immigration, nationality, Chinese culture and investing in China.

Programme of Public Works

Helen is currently touring the schools (12 -18years), colleges, universities in the UK and abroad giving her inspiring talk, "A Journey of A Thousand Miles Starts with One Step". The talk is given to encourage students to write, learn about their roots, appreciate other cultures and join in Helen's own journey through her book Sweet Mandarin.

Head Mistress Mrs Lee- Jones of Manchester High School (Girls) said:

"The remarkable story of the indefatigable women in Helen’s family was a fascinating subject and a great lesson to our girls in perseverance and tolerance of others."

Praise for the Book

Read this book…the story of an amazing family – 3 generations of Chinese women and their sweet and sour, hot and bitter lives - Xinran, author of The Good Women of China

Helen Tse tells a gripping tale of struggle, laughter, love and food that marks Sweet Mandarin as a must read book. It is not only an immigrant account of life but also a universal touching story of survival that will move your soul as well – Ken Hom

Fascinating stuff – Metro

Tse captures the drama, colour and particularly the flavours of Lily's life – Scotland on Sunday

"a heartrending and tender story of three generations of Chinese women who transform their lives" Wall Street Journal

"The hiss of the wok and scent of stir-fried vegetables practically leap out of Helen Tse's book. She intertwines the story of her grandmother, Lily Kwok...and her family's restaurant business. An excellent read 4 stars." First Magazine

"This story can be as sad as it is funny - but ultimately its message is that you can do anything you set your mind to. It's the story of Lily Kwok as told by her granddaughter Helen. This is a real testament to the triumph of the human spirit over adversity and to how you can control your own destiny. Inspiring." Fresh Magazine

"The novel is.. filled with suspense and unexpected twists, but ...this is a true story. Tse has a simple narrative style that makes for comfortable reading, and her description of the various Chinese dishes will make your mouth water, while her message, 'never give up', will fill you up with hope. It is.. a story about indomitable spirit in the face of crushing adversity, rich with the exotic flavours of the food that saved them." The Daily Star Weekend Magazine - Bangladesh

"Inspirational...a journey exploring roots and identity...a saga of immigrants…. from a foreign land to home" Shanghai Daily front cover story

Published by Ebury Press, Random House on 1st February 2006, £14.99 hbk, £10.99 pbk in Australia, Asia, South Africa, Europe. Published by Thomas Dunne in the United States of America (2008). Also in Audio book produced by BBC Books. Currently being scripted and adapted for a movie.

For more information visit or contact Lisa Tse on 0161 832 8848 or email sweetmandarin@

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