I Am Du Shiniang

On the banks of the Qinhuai River in the autumn of 1595, the moment Du Mei was openly put up for sale, she knew her story could not be written in tears alone. I Am Du Shiniang: A Pact to Save My Own Soul reveals another side of history long buried. This is not merely the tragedy of a courtesan, but an epic struggle by a woman to forge her own sense of worth within a system that reduces her entirely to an object.

Over the course of ten years, she turns her mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting into a means of making a living, quietly converting every transaction into a possibility for the future. The fabled treasure chest holds not only rare and priceless treasures, but also a declaration of value she has forged through years of suffering. When the scholar Li Jia chooses to complete the “handover” for one thousand taels of silver, Du Mei’s “drowning of the treasure chest” is no longer an act of despair after being betrayed. It is a carefully planned performance of value: she will destroy everything to set the ultimate price on herself.

The river swallows the treasures, but one question flows upstream, crossing four hundred years: when the whole world is putting a price on you, how do you claim ownership of yourself? Retelling a classic through a modern lens, this work turns Du Shiniang’s ledger into a mirror reflecting the struggle over the worth of every soul. From a classical narrative, it brings forth the spirit of contemporary women’s self-awakening.