The Red Dress

Name: The Red Dress
ISBN: 9787802567849

彭海燕Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJul 2026

3.2

Word count: 260K words
Chapters: 75
ISBN: 9787802567849

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Summary

In the demolition and rebuilding of the city, real estate developer Wu Haiyang wins the redevelopment project for Fengma Wharf, a shantytown. When the deputy mayor backing him is investigated, Wu's hold on the project is in jeopardy. Just then, Liu Dongming, a municipal government secretary-general, arrives to take charge. While the two men plot how to handle Mei, the wharf's most stubborn holdout, they unexpectedly run into his daughter, Mei Yiduo—a woman who once held unspeakable feelings for both of them. Known since childhood as the 'femme fatale' daughter of the wharf's 'loose widow,' she vows to change her humble origins through her own effort. After college she enters an unhappy marriage to join the provincial TV station, then drifts through jobs as director, teacher, and screenwriter, endures her husband's betrayal and death, and meets Liu and Wu again. At last she realizes that society is a web of relations dominated by men, and that the elite men prize not her talent but the temptation beneath her red dress. She reconciles with her mother and her humble birth—only to discover that about that era, her parents, and Fengma Wharf, there remains an untold story.

Editor's review

Red Skirt is a realist novel by Peng Haiyan that focuses on the living conditions and spiritual dilemmas of contemporary urban women. With delicate strokes, the work sketches vivid portraits of urban women struggling, making choices, and growing under the multiple pressures of career, family, and emotion. The novel not only explores women's self-identity and search for value amid the currents of the times, but also touches more deeply on the anxiety and ethical challenges of human nature common during social transformation. With keen social observation and deep humanistic concern, Peng Haiyan skillfully interweaves the inner turbulence of her characters with external social change, giving the story both a strong sense of the times and a depth of thought that penetrates individual destiny. The narrative pace is well modulated, the language textured, and the plain storytelling carries moving power. For readers seeking emotional resonance, concerned with social reality, and hoping to see themselves reflected in literature, Red Skirt offers a mirror worth gazing into; its value lies in going beyond simple storytelling to prompt lasting reflection on the nature of life, human relationships, and self-realization.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the living conditions and psychological portrayals of contemporary urban women
Literature lovers who enjoy realist fiction and follow social issues
Mature readers seeking emotional resonance and life insight
Thinkers who want to observe social change and human complexity through fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers of fast-paced online fiction with strong plot conflicts
Readers impatient with deep psychological description and discussion of social issues

Reading tips

Read immersively in a relatively quiet environment, following the characters' inner journeys step by step.
Compare the reading with your own experience of urban life; you may gain insights on more levels.
Do not rush toward the ending; understanding and reflecting on the characters' situations is itself part of the pleasure of reading.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
序一深厚的生活背景，严肃的人生思考
序二和解：成长之痛后的醒悟
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FAQ

What story does this book mainly tell?

Red Skirt revolves around the lives of several urban women, telling of the challenges, choices, and search for self-worth they face in the workplace, family, and emotional world. It is a realist novel that deeply depicts the contemporary female experience.

What is Peng Haiyan's writing style like?

Peng Haiyan's writing is known for its delicacy and realism. She excels at portraying complex inner worlds and placing individual destinies within a broad social context. Her language is plain yet moving, with attention to detail and authentic emotion.

Is this book suitable for male readers?

Although the novel centers on female perspectives and women's lives, its themes—self-realization, human relationships, social pressure—are universal. It is equally valuable for male readers who wish to understand contemporary women's situations or who are interested in close observation of human nature and society.

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About the author

彭海燕 Author

Peng Haiyan is a contemporary Chinese novelist. Public information about her is limited, and only two of her works can be confirmed at present, both categorized as social fiction. Her representative works include Red Skirt and a five-part series consisting of Red Skirt, Red Slender, Red Dogwood, Red Ink, and Red Lips. Based on the available information, her writing focuses on social fiction, and she develops full-length novels in a serialized form, continuing to build characters and storylines around the same subject. The naming of the five-part series suggests a strong sense of overall planning and indicates that the author pays attention to coherence and resonance among the works. Because no public disclosure of her life or writing career has been found, her writing background, mentors, and specific creative process cannot yet be examined. For readers, understanding Peng Haiyan still depends mainly on these two works themselves, through which they can sense her narrative orientation and style in the field of social fiction.