Miss Xiguan

Author: Tan Baiwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Tracing Fragrances, on those misty spring mornings, on those golden chrysanthemum and red crab afternoons, what kind of stories did they have? Where did their charming smiles linger in the twilight? A series of faded old photographs make us deeply yearn. Although the footsteps of the Xiguan ladies have long gone, they have become a beautiful petal in the folklore culture of Xiguan, continuously emitting a gentle fragrance and the charm of past and present. Unlike women in other parts of Guangzhou, Xiguan ladies were both traditional yet breaking through tradition. In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the prosperity of Guangzhou as a port for trade with the West gave rise to numerous wealthy merchants, as well as Xiguan ladies who were educated in both Eastern and Western traditions. Having received the same educational opportunities as men, they were the first to be influenced by Western culture, collectively embodying the direction of the era and trends. They represented the pioneers of women's liberation in Guangzhou and the elegant and prosperous life of Guangzhou in the first half of the 20th century. Traditional Xiguan embraced many advanced foreign cultures, adding to its openness and inclusiveness. In the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, within the rich Xiguan folklore, they baked a generation after generation of virtuous, gentle, intelligent, and enterprising Xiguan ladies, gradually becoming a shining group in Xiguan culture and a representative of beautiful and refined women. Xiguan ladies also evolved from being a specific term for certain girls to a historical and cultural term, becoming a fine brand of Xiguan culture. This book is not only a tribute to the past but also an exploration of the cultural phenomenon of Xiguan ladies during that historical period.