Memories of a Shanghai Summer (沪夏往事, pinyin: hu xia wangshi) came to my notice the same way it (probably) came to the notice of about 90% of the Chinese-language baihe readership: it was licensed, in quick succession, for a full-cast audiobook, a (separate) audio drama, and then a simplified Chinese print edition. This was all the more striking because of the author's relatively low profile: she's not even contracted to JJWXC. She's also primarily a yanqing author: as of the date of writing, Memories of a Shanghai Summer is her only baihe novel. So that piqued my interest. The only other thing I knew about the novel is that it's set in the Republican Era and has a tragic ending (again, given the common trope about Republican Era stories, the second bit hardly needs saying).

The story is set, predictably, in a turbulent Shanghai. The central romance is between Xie Wanjun, a shrewd businesswoman straining every bit of ingenuity to compete in a male-dominated field, and Qin Shuining, a seamstress whose skills (particularly in making fancy qipao) are sought after by rich women. The two of them are refugees from the north, having evacuated to Shanghai just before the Japanese army invaded, and actually made a large part of the perilous journey together. Despite that shared life-or-death experience, however, their relationship at the start of the novel is (or at least seems) seems to be a mostly professional one: Xie Wanjun is one of Qin Shuining's many regular customers. Xie Wanjun does enjoy needling (see what I did there) Qin Shuining every now and then, but Qin Shuining usually handles it with complete equanimity and full professionalism.

( read more; some spoilers )

I read the Chinese original of the novel here on JJWXC. The mainland print edition of the novel contains a new post-ending extra set several years in the future, where Qin Shuining has reopened her dressmaking business and has an apprentice and adopted daughter.