“Clear, coherent, richly documented, and highly persuasive. I know of no other source devoted exclusively to the topic of Chinese women’s biographies, and I am confident that this book will have a ready audience in the China field and beyond.” -Paul Ropp, Clark University

“In addition to Liu Xiang’s Lienü zhuan, the Urtext of Chinese women’s biography, this rich trove of essays explores previously unexamined biographical genres and mines literary texts for their biographical potential. It will be of great value to scholars interested in women’s history, life-writing, and biography, both in the China field and in comparative contexts.” -Grace S. Fong, McGill University