Madam Lanyin: A Dream Among the Blossoms of Shanghai

In Republican-era Shanghai, Gu Luxian, the famed socialite, passed away suddenly, leaving behind only a roomful of belongings for people to auction off and gossip about.

Through a literati’s search and recollections, this book pieces together her dazzling yet lonely life: cast into a life of prostitution as a girl, she captivated everyone at the height of her fame, and found someone who cared for her during her illness, yet in the end could not escape her fate.

The author does more than record a tale of bygone glamour. He also seeks to summon the spirits of women devoured by their times.

All the worldly pleasures and riches in this world amount to nothing but an illusion.

Beyond sympathy for beautiful women and a desire to cherish them lies a deeper wish: may every woman who has lost her way find a gentle breeze to guide her, stand on her own in this world, and never again have to cling to someone else like a trumpet vine.