BookLife Review: Lady Tan's Circle of Women, by Lisa See
Historical novel, Chinese medicine, female doctors, midwives, foot-binding, smallpox, Chinese scholars, forensic science, Chengua, Hongzhi and Zhengde Emperors
Author Lisa See conceived of and birthed Lady Tan’s Circle of Women during the Covid pandemic. It is deeply researched, rendering the story rich with detail about Chinese medicine, the history and existence of female doctors in a highly male-dominated and cloistered society, the customs and practice of forensic tribunals, and the fashions and households of the elite in Chinese society in the period from 1469 through 1511. The details give the story dimension and life.
On its face, the book is a tribute to a pioneer, Tan Yunxian, one of the first female Chinese medicine doctors whose work was recorded. Yet, it is much more than that. It is a story of the circle of life and health for women, from conception through birth, on to marriage (or not) child-bearing, aging and death. It is a tribute to those who recognize the distinct needs inherent in women’s health, the particular risks women undertake in conceiving, carrying and birthing children, and why specialists are necessary in this field. It is also a reminder of the tragedies that can occur with these needs are ignored, unmet or corrupted.
The book is also a gateway, a virtual tutorial in the history and tenets of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations, the Five Depot Organs, the herbal remedies, bone-setting, early vaccination methods, and other aspects of ancient healing practices. Likewise, it showcases early forensic science. While crude and deductive by today’s standards, The Washing Away of Wrongs was evidence-based forensics and the basis for an inquest and justice system. See unearths a multitude of the historical facts and practices-the gems buried in history that readers of historical fiction treasure.
Like some of her past works (notably Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane), See structures this story around the life of one character who we meet as a child at age 8 and follow through her lifetime. The reader follows her growth, as See introduces marriage, in-laws and Chinese traditions of foot-binding, concubines and family compounds where women are cloistered from the outside world. Yunxian endures foot-binding, is instructed on womanly and wifely duties, and after the death of her young mother, is sent to live with her paternal grandparents. To her great good fortune, her grandparents educate her in the ways of medicine and midwifery. She is entered into an arranged marriage and her mother-in-law forbids her to engage in medical practice. However, the needs of the enormous community of women in her husband’s family’s compound together with her own drive keep her learning and practice alive.