Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip
In a sunny California apartment, a young woman and her fiancé arrive to record her great-grandmother’s story. It is the story of a girl, Xiang Xiang, who rose from a childhood of shame to become one of the most successful courtesans in early twentieth-century China—under the name Precious Orchid.
After Xiang Xiang’s father is falsely accused of a crime, he is executed, leaving his family a legacy of dishonor. Her mother’s only option is to enter a Buddhist nunnery, so she gives her daughter over to the care of her sister in Shanghai.
At first, life at Peach Blossom Pavilion feels like a dream. Surrounded by exotic flowers, murmuring fountains, colorful fishponds, and bamboo groves, Precious Orchid sees herself thriving. She is schooled in music, literature, painting, calligraphy, and, to her innocent surprise, the art of pleasuring men. For the beautiful Pavilion hides its darker purpose as an elite house of prostitution. And even as she commands the devotion of China’s most powerful men, Precious Orchid never gives up on her dream to escape, reunite with her mother, avenge her father’s death, and find true love. As the richest, most celebrated Ming Ji—or “prestigious courtesan”—in all of China, she just might have her way, even if it comes with a devastating price…
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