THE BATHING WOMEN introduces readers to one of the most popular novelists in China. Published to critical acclaim, it has sold more than a million copies in the People’s Republic, where it has also been adapted as a television series.

The novel takes three women – the sisters Tiao and Fan, and their friend Fei – from childhood during the Cultural Revolution to maturity in the new market economy of the ‘90s. It portrays women who struggle against the strong cross-currents of modern culture in an effort to gain a measure of spiritual freedom. Through their family relationships, loves and friendships, the book explores the themes of guilt and expiation.

(Available Online: Prologue and Chapter One.)