Mrs. Tchan's Lotus Circle

According to Confucius, an educated woman is worthless.

An engaging historical novel inspired by the true story of a 15th-century Chinese doctor.
China during the Ming Dynasty surpassed Europe in many ways, but remained rigidly traditional when it came to the position of women in society. Regardless of family status, a woman was subordinate to a man from birth to death – to her father in childhood, to her husband in adulthood, and to her son in old age.
Women' s education is considered undesirable in 15th century China. But Tan Yunxian comes from a family with a long medical tradition, and her grandmother has been teaching her to treat women' s diseases since she was young. Despite all her education, she must submit to the strictly hierarchical Confucian concept of family and be primarily a daughter, wife, and mother. She must behave like a proper wife in her husband' s household: to make shoes suitable for bound feet, to strum musical instruments, to recite poems, to give birth to sons, and to remain forever within the walls of the family home.
But Tan Yunxian knows that a lotus does not bloom from mud, and despite all the limitations, he is still able to help and heal women. Thanks to her education and friendship in the Lotus Circle of Women, she overcomes many social taboos, including contact with " unclean" sick people. Mrs. Tang' s Lotus Circle tells the story of a woman who was remarkable during the Ming Dynasty and should be considered remarkable even today.
Nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2023 in the Best Historical Novel category.
USA Today and New York Times bestseller.