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| “ | The sisters of sau-hai know all and are everywhere. | „ |
| ~ Ah-Jeh |
The sau-hai are a villainous organization in the 2009 historical fiction novel Red Lotus (first published in the US as The Concubine's Daughter). They exclusively appear in and are a major villainous force in Part One: Children of the Moon.
History[]
Part One: Children of the Moon[]
| “ | Such lost women had sought the sisterhood and shared its strength for centuries. It offered food and shelter, but above all it promised a measure of dignity, and security from the injustices of men. | „ |
The sau-hai are a women-only cult founded to improve the lives of women and protect them from male aggression. They are easily recognizable by their uniform of black clothing, a white handkerchief pinned to the chest and a hair bun secured with a comb. Their members are highly sought-after as skilled labor and domestic workers due to their expansive network of secret intelligence. All weavers in the Ten Willows silk farm are sau-hai-affiliated, as is the farm's superintendent Ah-Jeh.
While sau-hai members are guaranteed safety and financial security, their freedom is severely restricted. Membership is only available to virginal women and is irrevocable; members are forbidden from entering romantic or sexual relationships with men on the grounds that the sisterhood believe all men to be domestic abusers; and any sister caught breaking their rules will be subject to torture and execution. They also readily conspire against non-sau-hai women whom they perceive as undermining them.
Members[]
- Ah-Jeh: Second-in-command of Ming-Chou, superintendent of Ten Willows silk farm.
- Ah-Ho: Ben Devereaux's housemaid, who is eventually discharged from the household for her actions and is largely responsible for Li-Xia's downfall and death.
Trivia[]
- They are based on the real-life Comb Sister movement in historical China: a group of women who vowed to never marry and chose to dedicate their lives to working to financially support themselves and their families.
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 Villains
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Part One: Children of the Moon Part Two: Red Lotus | ||