Liusu was a chinese young woman, who lived in Shanghain. She was 28 years old and already divorced ,because her husband used to beat her. It was a middle of the twentieth century (1940) and the fact she got divorced impressed me ( she got divorced and she was from a traditional family with good reputation).The twentieth century , I guess , was a beginning of that kind of changes, when divorce started to be not a overwhelming moment. Even Liusu was divorced for 7 years, she didn’t change her situation, didn’t look for anyone until her family told her that they couldn’t support herself anymore. I think , at least she could go to work, even she was not educated, but if  a person in that kind of situation , she could change her perception about working, since she was worried about reputation, that a woman from her  high class family couldn’t do dirty work due to the lack of education.(I haven’t studied much, and I can’t lift and carry, so what kind of job can I get?”) It was the twentieth century, most women worked at that time.

But I like the moment when Liusu finally showed her feelings and emotions, when the family put her down ( they had been supporting her for 7 years, meanwhile they speculated her money).(“Why didn’t you say all this seven or eight years ago?”Now that you’ve spent all my money , you are not afraid of upsetting me?””It’s because  I’ve eaten you out of house and home.You’ve lost my money?It must be that I’ve led you on.Your sons die?Of course it’s because I’ve brought evil into your lives.”) At that moment a young woman,who was so quiet and like a shadow in the family, finally got her voice.

When I was reading I loved one phrase so much, when she expressed her feelings again in the conversation with Liuyuan.(“Your idea of the perfect woman is someone who is pure and high-minded but still very ready to flirt. The pure high-mindedness is towards others , but the flirting is towards you. If I were an entirely good woman, you never would have noticed me in the first place!”) This was a very strong statement from the woman, who used to swallow everything before, but now she spoke up and said what she thought. For me, this transformation seemed very interesting.

I have something to say about her “love” for Liuyuan. I think if she was not  experienced in relationship with men, she wouldn’t fall in love with Liuyuan. Everything ,what happened only because of circumstances( she needed to leave her family, to get married or to live somewhere else, since her being in her family was terrible).I agree that his compliments and  sweet words could seduce her and make her feel special, but I think, she could  have filtered  some of them. Moreover, I didn’t like when she was thinking that she couldn’t get back to family, because everyone would think that she became Liuyuan’s mistress. What did she expect? And why didn’t she think that way before she went for long walks with him till  late night, spent all time with him? Of course, she didn’t do anything inappropriate with him, but still if she knew social rules of her culture, why did she go for that then? And when second time when he asked her to come to Hong Kong, she didn’t even think that he would want to have  a night with her or that she would be in the same room with him. I don’t know how a woman at her age could be kind of naive.

I think this woman was unhappy even after her marriage with Liuyuan, because of herself. Nothing satisfied her, she couldn’t let her past go away(the time when she was left and became a mistress) and enjoyed her life and maybe this fact made me think that if it was true love, she would be feeling in a different way. This woman was living at that time, when a woman had to become stronger and stronger, but Liusu was a weak person with temporary changes, when she showed her strong side of her temper. I believe if she didn’t get fight with her family in the beginning ,Liusu wouldn’t  even get married again.