Over one million copies sold Longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize A modern Chinese classic Sisters Tiao and Fan grew up in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution. They witnessed immense suffering, including the death of their baby sister in a tragic accident. It was an accident they could have prevented; an accident that will stay with them forever. In the China of the 1990s the sisters lead seemingly successful lives. Tiao is a successful children's publisher but incapable of finding love. Fan has moved to America, desperate to shun her Chinese heritage. Then there is their childhood friend Fei: beautiful, hedonistic and outwardly ambitious. As the women grapple with love, rivalry and past secrets will they find the freedom and redemption they crave? Spellbinding , unforgettable , and an important chronicle of modern China, The Bathing Women is a powerful and beautiful portrait of the strength of female friendship in the face of adversity.