Soft Smoke Dream

Deep within the women's quarters, begonias bloom; the scent of love fills the air. Who speaks of mandarin ducks? How many springtime sorrows and autumnal glances have proved impossible to find? How many a flower's beauty and moonlike face are truly extraordinary? So many things, looked at anew, reveal the fragrant jade in A Dream of Soft Mist.

Let the tale begin: high towers lock away hearts. Everyone envies gold and silver; everyone chases fame, only to grieve in vain. No one can escape the joys and sorrows of life and death. Laughing and weeping, we remain trapped by rites and customs, rushing through the mundane world.

Do not sigh or grieve. The word love holds a thousand truths. For now, indulge in a golden dream, and listen as I tell this calmly.

This is a tale of joy and sorrow, parting and reunion; a picture of heartfelt affection and beauty; and words from the heart that are hard to speak. This is no book as the world understands it, nor is it merely a tale of romance. It speaks of truths that have endured through the ages, and of things people cannot imagine or do. Having passed through a dreamlike experience, the author writes of the human heart, using the love between men and women to speak in veiled terms of rites and customs. The characters are not revealed here. Whether they are good or evil is for readers to judge. Thus, this introduction says nothing of the characters in the book, leaving the curious to discover them for themselves.