Leaves of Prayer: The Life and Poetry of He Shuangqing, a Farmwife in Eighteenth-Century China

This is an authentic history of a Chinese female poet, He Shuangqing. She lived at a time when people regarded men as superior to women. However, she was fortunate to have some scholar acquaintances who were open-minded. They spurned the traditional attitude towards her sex and showed their appreciation of her poems and her attitude towards life. One of the scholars, Shi Zhenlin, wrote down and recorded her life and poetry in his book Xiqing sanji (West Green Random Notes) so that her poems could be read by more people. Leaves of Prayer is a translation of Xiqing sanji.

Part 1 gives an introduction to Shi Zhenlin's Xiqing sanji and He Shuangqing, the poet. Part 2 is a translation of Xiqing sanji which narrates the vicissitudes of He Shuangqing's life. Part 3 lists the poems of He Shuangqing with their originals written in Chinese calligraphy.