Puwei

Puwei is the farming village in Hunan where Lily Wu and her family reside. It is an agricultural community, and, although the residents are not well-off, they are not terribly poor. Lily's father and Uncle work in the fields and paddies in Puwei.

Tongkou

Tongkou is a more upscale village where Snow Flower was raised. The homes are architecturally beautiful, and the village is nestled among trees. Lily Wu is married to a Tongkou family and spends the rest of her life in her husband's family's home in Tongkou. She becomes an exemplary citizen and the people of Tongkou look to her for leadership.

Temple of Gao

This is the temple where Lily and Snow Flower visit to pray for sons. The altar has pairs of baby shoes which have been left by new mothers, and are there for expectant mothers to secretly "steal" for their new...