Whilst visiting the household the General's condition deteriorates and realizing that there was no male heir, Yu-Fang knows that their child is now of great importance to the future of the family. During her daughter's infancy, Yu-Fang put off persistent reauests for her to be brought to the General's main household, but once he became seriously ill the requests became orders and she had no choice other than to comply. The General did not stay for long even once his daughter arrived, but he named her Bao Qin, which means 'precious zither'. Although she was permitted to visit her parents at their home she was never allowed to stay there overnight.Īfter his six year absence, the General made a brief conjugal visit to his young concubine, during which a daughter was conceived. Because of this she never felt secure in her position and feared constantly for her safety. Despite the luxurious surroundings and exquisite accommodations life for Yu-Fang was stressful and tense as she feared that the servants would report rumors or lies about her to the General's senior wife who would then pass them on to him. The General already had many concubines and after their wedding ceremony the young lady was left alone in a luxurious, wealthy household with servants and did not see her husband again for six years.

As the family was relatively poor, Yu-Fang's father decided a scheme to have his daughter taken as a concubines to a high-ranking warlord, Generak Xue Zhi-heng, in order to gain status which was incredibly important in dictating quality of life. At the age of two her feet were bound, an extremely painful process that prevented the feet from growing in the normal way, a common practice inflicted of female children in China where tiny feet are considered beautiful. The book starts by telling the story of the author's grandmother, Yu-Fang.

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Wild Swans by Jung Chang