Wise and brilliantly expressive.... This novel truly mirrors the miseries the Cultural Revolution brought upon the Chinese people; it is historical, emotionally charged, and hued with rich romantic themes. from the foreword by Chen Su Yen, Chinese Literature Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences This political and darkly romantic novel centers on Mei Puti, a forty-something professor of literature, who suffers during the Cultural Revolution because of her heritage as part of the old elite.