An international bestseller about two fragile women who found enough strength within themselves to confront the cruel customs of 19th-century China. The fascinating story depicts the fates of Chinese women who undergo a drastic trial of foot binding in early childhood and are condemned to live in isolation, without their own thoughts and feelings. However, in a remote region, the women create a secret code, the only written language developed based on their belonging to the female gender. They seek a lifelong friend, a soulmate, their other self, with whom they then paint messages with a brush on fans and embroider them on silk throughout their lives. Such is the fate of Lili. She and her friend Snow Blossom leave their native village and follow their husbands. First love experiences, their status in a new household, family tragedies, peasant revolts, and famine all reflect in their intimate messages. An aging Lili reflects on her life and seeks the reasons why her close relationship with Snow Blossom ended. 'Only through suffering do you attain beauty,' she repeats the words she so often heard from her mother, which have filled her own fate to the brim. This exceptionally captivating novel has become a worldwide bestseller, and currently, the famous director Wayne is filming his latest movie based on it...
