No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose–despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it–and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations–looking, listening, touching, and asking-something a man can never do with a female patient.įrom a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China-perfect for fans of See’s classic Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.Īccording to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian-born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness-is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. And that their shadowy enemy will stop at nothing to gain its mysterious prize - China's Dragon Bones.About THE BOOK Lady Tan’s Circle of Women As David and Hulan pick their way through the complex maze of politics they come to realise that what is at stake is the safety of both their homelands. What's more, priceless artefacts are disappearing from these same sites, only to reappear outside China on the world's art market. The victim, an American archaeologist, is just one of several similar casualties at archaeological sites along the Yangtze. However it soon becomes clear that this is more than a simple case of homicide. David Stark, international attorney, and Liu Hulan, inspector for the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, are assigned to the murder investigation. Dragon Bones When the body of an American archaeologist is found floating in the Yangzi River, Ministry of Public Security agent Liu Hulan and her husband, American attorney David Stark, are dispatched to Site 518 to investigate.

But this body, despite its badly decomposed state, is easily identified as a foreigner by its red hair. This isn't the first time a body has washed up on his little piece of land. However it soon becomes clear that this is more than a simple case of homicide.Ī farmer finds a corpse floating near the mouth of the Yangtze River.

David Stark, international attorney, and Liu Hulan, inspector for the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, are assigned to the murder investigation. A farmer finds a corpse floating near the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Dragon Bones by Lisa See