Peach Blosson Pavilion by Mingmei Yip

Mingmei Yip has written an enchanting debut novel “Peach Blossom Pavilion” which tells the story of the last surviving Chinese courtesan (prostitute), Precious Orchid, the most sought-after woman in all of China. Just as Arthur Golden's novel “Memoirs of a Geisha” introduced readers to the Japanese geisha tradition nearly a decade ago, Peach Blossom Pavilion provides a vivid account of a forgotten history, immersed in Chinese culture of the early 1990's, by transporting us to another place and time where prostitutes were glamorous, elegant and cultured women that were well-versed in the arts.

Mingwei Yip was born in Hong Kong and from a young age had a consuming interest in the traditional arts of China. She is an accomplished calligrapher and painter, but, more uniquely, is a master performer on the most ancient Chinese stringed musical instrument – the qin (pronounced “chin”). Her inspiration for writing this novel was to reveal the talented women from China's past that were also practitioners of these arts: the mingji or “precious prostitutes”.

For more information please visit www.mingmeiyip.com