Endless Tenderness

Endless Tenderness is a collection of essays by the Hong Kong writer Yi Shu, published by New World Press in 2008 and containing more than a hundred short pieces. Set against the backdrop of urban life, the book offers essayistic reflections on emotional relationships, attitudes toward living, and everyday philosophy; the pieces are brief, most fitting on a single page. With her characteristic coolness and humor, Yi Shu discusses how women can keep their sense of self and refuse to define their worth through dependence on others; she also writes about the complexity and intractability of blood ties within the family, workplace rules, interpersonal boundaries, and the fine art of advancing and retreating in social life. She criticizes vanity and ostentation, yet finds warmth in ordinary trifles: happiness must be actively sought, and after crying one should seize the chance to laugh; there is no need to play the wronged party year after year, nor to pin all joy on what others provide. Her writing offers both a sharp exposure of false sentiment and a generous understanding of youth, family, and friendship. Along with her earlier collections Happiness Unending, Cambrian, and Love Unfinished, this book belongs to the Yi Shu essay series released for mainland readers, and is regarded as one of the representative works of the "read Yi Shu's essays, be an exquisite woman" ethos.