to the Wuchang Uprising, the first event in the 1911 Revolution that gave birth to the Republic of China. "The Dirge of Liang Fu" refers to specific compositions in classic Chinese literature, and suggests the way in which exile and return have been the subject of Chinese poets such as Tu Fu. Love's Lone Flower (孤戀花) "Peach Blossom" is the protégé and companion of the female protagonist; both are club escorts. Peach Blossom becomes falls into a deadly and insanity-creating spiral with a thug, Yama. The context of the story is yet another variant of the Chinese "pleasure quarters," the winehouse. Glory's by Blossom Bridge (花橋榮記) "Glory's" is a restaurant, and the noodles it serves could stand as a tenuous link between distant Kweilin—the site of its predecessor—and Taiwan. All of the stories in the collection make use of allusions to particular regions in mainland China; this story's allusion to Kweilin is special, since that is the author's home province, Kweilin (Guilin). Through references to food, landscape, and the unique Kweilin opera, he suggests the particular poignancy of exile from that place. Autumn Reveries (秋思) Autumn means "aging," and this jewel of a story focuses on the power and fragility of beauty. The story alludes to the use of the chrysanthemum as a symbol of the transience of life—its brilliant, brief flowering followed by excruciating decline—in Chinese (and Japanese) culture. A Sky Full of Bright, Twinkling Stars (滿天裏亮晶晶的星星) Capturing a "beat" sensibility that finds extended development in much Taiwan literature, this story about (gay) street characters who frequent Taipei's New Park—The Guru, Ah Hsiung the Primitive, Dark-and-Handsome, Little Jade—concludes with a potent symbol of how very different people (and peoples) are thrown into each other's arms. This story alludes to the bright effluorescence of the Shanghai film industry in the '20s and '30s. Wandering in the Garden, Waking from a Dream (遊園驚夢) The collection's eponymous story is a tour-de-force of Chinese cultural allusion, as it contrasts the pre-Taiwan condition of a group of Kun Opera singers (Fragrant Cassia, Heavenly Pepper, Red Red Rose) with their current position as wives (or ex-wives or widows) of prominent society figures (Madan Ch'ien . . . Madam Tou . . . Madam Jen . . . . ). The story interweaves abundant allusion to a specific variety of Chinese opera called Kunqu in general, including its many roles and unique sounds, together with a