Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See Summary

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a 2005 novel by Lisa See that tells the story of Lily, an 80-year-old Chinese woman in 1903, reflecting on her lifelong friendship with Snow Flower. Set in 19th-century China during the Qing Dynasty, the novel explores their laotong relationship—a formal bond between two women—through childhood, arranged marriages, motherhood, betrayal, and ultimate tragedy. The story is centered around nu shu, a secret writing system used exclusively by women in the Jiangyong region to communicate their deepest emotions.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is ideal for readers interested in historical fiction that explores female friendship, Chinese culture, and women's history. The novel appeals to those who want to understand the lived experiences of women in 19th-century China, including practices like footbinding and arranged marriages. Readers who appreciate emotionally complex narratives about loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness will find this book deeply moving, as it examines how women navigated Confucian social structures while maintaining their own voices and relationships.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is worth reading for its authentic portrayal of women's lives in historical China and its exploration of universal themes like friendship and regret. Lisa See's novel received an honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature and was adapted into a film by Wayne Wang in 2011. The book follows feminist scholarship on women in the Ming-Qing period by showing how women found self-fulfillment within, rather than in opposition to, their cultural values. Its emotionally rich narrative and historical depth make it a compelling read.

Lisa See is an American author known for writing historical novels about Chinese and Chinese-American women's experiences. In Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, See was inspired by the discovery of nu shu, a unique script used exclusively by women in Hunan province's Jiangyong region. The novel demonstrates See's commitment to challenging Western stereotypes that view Chinese women simply as victims, instead presenting characters who found their own voices within Confucian society. Her research into footbinding, arranged marriages, and female friendship customs informed this richly detailed historical narrative.

Nu shu is a secret writing system used exclusively by women in the Jiangyong region of Hunan province that serves as the narrative foundation of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. This unique script allowed women to communicate their emotions, experiences, and deepest thoughts in a society where they had limited public voice. In the novel, Lily and Snow Flower use nu shu to write messages on a silk fan, creating an intimate record of their laotong friendship. The language represents female solidarity and emotional expression in a patriarchal culture.

A laotong relationship, meaning "old same," is a formal, lifelong bond between two women matched in childhood based on compatibility and similar circumstances. In Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lily and Snow Flower are paired as laotong at age seven, creating a relationship meant to be closer than marriage. The quote "We of good affection shall never sever our bond" captures the sacred commitment of this relationship. Unlike marriages arranged by families, laotong matches were emotional partnerships where women could share their innermost feelings through nu shu writing.

The central themes of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan include female friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the suffering of women in 19th-century China. The novel explores how societal expectations shaped women's lives through footbinding, arranged marriages, and Confucian values that treated women as property. Lily's "longing for love" and her inability to forgive perceived betrayal drive the tragic narrative. Additional themes include the physical and psychological pain women endured, the power of female solidarity through nu shu, and the lasting consequences of misunderstanding and pride in relationships.

"For my entire life I longed for love": This quote encapsulates Lily's lifelong struggle with societal expectations that forbade women from expecting emotional fulfillment, revealing how unjustified desires caused her greatest problems.

"We of good affection shall never sever our bond": Written by Snow Flower on their shared fan, this represents the initial optimism and sacred commitment of their laotong relationship.

"Only through pain will you have beauty": Spoken during footbinding, this haunting line reveals the cultural belief that women's suffering created worth and beauty in a patriarchal society.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is set during the Qing Dynasty in 19th-century China, spanning the reigns of four emperors from 1820 to 1908. The novel depicts significant historical events, including the Taiping Rebellion, which forced Lily and Snow Flower to flee to the mountains and killed approximately twenty million people. The story unfolds during a time of social and political change in China, exploring the traditions of the Yao people, a minority ethnic group in southern Hunan province. The historical setting authentically portrays women's limited roles in Confucian society.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan depicts footbinding as both physical torture and a necessary path to social advancement for women. The novel describes the "physical and psychological pain of foot binding" that young girls endured to achieve beauty and marriageability. The quote "Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you find peace" reflects how mothers justified this practice to their daughters. Lisa See portrays footbinding not simply as victimization but as part of a complex cultural system where women found ways to self-fulfillment despite their suffering.

Lily and Snow Flower's relationship begins as an idealized laotong bond but becomes tragically complicated by class differences, jealousy, and misunderstanding. When Lily discovers Snow Flower's family has fallen into poverty and that she will marry a butcher rather than a scholar, she feels betrayed. Years later, believing Snow Flower has abandoned their friendship for other women, Lily publicly humiliates her by sharing all her secrets, destroying Snow Flower's reputation. When Snow Flower dies, Lily spends forty years regretting her cruelty, ultimately realizing she "treated Snow Flower like a bad husband treats his wife".

At age 80, Lily reflects on forty years of regret after Snow Flower's death from a stomach tumor. Eight years after their public falling-out, Snow Flower summons dying Lily to her bedside, where they reconcile. After Snow Flower's death, other women explain how badly Lily had behaved, and Lily dedicates the rest of her life to caring for Snow Flower's children and grandchildren. When Snow Flower's granddaughter Peony marries Lily's grandson, Lily binds her feet herself while telling stories of their friendship. The novel ends with Lily asking forgiveness from Snow Flower and all who witnessed her life.