The Street of Precious Pearls

The Street of Precious Pearls is a memoir of Nora Waln, an American writer who lived over 12 years in China in the house of the Lin family. The protagonists of this story were inspired by the members of the family. They married on their parents' arrangement, although they hadn't even met before the wedding, the details agreed by a combination of astrology and superstition. Yet, both of them had a western education, and they cut themselves off from the family by leaving home, converting to Christianity, and living on their own.