Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel

Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a historical novel inspired by the true story of Tan Yunxian, a woman physician in 15th-century China. Born into an elite family and raised by her grandparents, Yunxian is trained by her grandmother—one of only a handful of female doctors in China—in the pillars of Chinese medicine and the Four Examinations: looking, listening, touching, and asking. This knowledge allows her to examine female patients in ways male doctors cannot. From childhood, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses alongside Meiling, a young midwife-in-training. The two girls form a deep friendship and share a mutual purpose, vowing to support each other through life's challenges. However, when Yunxian enters an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from treating the women in the household. Confined to the Garden of Fragrant Delights, Yunxian must navigate the expectations placed on a proper wife while seeking to practice medicine. The novel explores how Yunxian breaks free from these constraints to lead a life of such significance that her remedies remain in use five centuries later, and how friendship shapes her journey.