The pinnacle of the "sad novels" of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School. It tells the story of the poignant and tragic love between the talented man He Mengxia and the widowed socialite Bai Liying. The novel makes extensive use of parallel prose and poetry, and its language is extremely gorgeous and sad. It was popular all over the country at that time. It profoundly embodies the emotional struggle of old-style literati under the constraints of feudal ethics. Although it has an old and decadent beauty, it is an important specimen for studying modern popular literature and social trends.
