I can't speak Chinese

I CAN’T SPEAK CHINESE ◪ At a lunch in Hebei, where we were served chilled langoustine garnished with kumquats squared and carved into dice, grilled slabs of Matsusaka beef, pots of braised dried tofu with pink carrots, and carafes of pinot noir from a nearby vineyard, I was given a seat beside a poet from Hebei. To be polite, he struck up a conversation…