Life in a Courtesan House

Although a prostitute's life is risky and unlawful in current American society, women in China often made good livings as courtesans. The novel indicates people looked at these ladies in much the same was as modern Americans view movie stars. The courtesans would take rides in sedans around the city showing off their fashionable clothes and the jewelry they had been given as gifts. As Magic Gourd tells Violet, many of the women would copy their fashions from those of the courtesans.

Growing up in a courtesan house, Violet sees from the inside how this type of business is run. She watches the way the courtesans fight and sometimes spread rumors about one another in order to gain favor with men. She sees first hand the hurt sometimes caused by the rumors when her favorite courtesan, Magic Cloud, is made to leave...