In his first novel to appear in English, China's acclaimed author Li Rui breathes life into China's monumental history through the vibrant saga of the Li and Bai clans--their romances, betrayals, intrigues, and power struggles. Set in a provincial saltmining town, the story follows the two families from the pre-Communist 1920s--a courtly era of sedan chairs and tea houses--to the explosive cultural revolution and beyond .