恨海

by Jianren Wu

"恨海" by Jianren Wu is a novel published in 1906. Set during the chaos of the Boxer Uprising of 1900, it follows two couples whose arranged marriages unravel tragically—one groom dies from opium addiction while his brother's bride-to-be becomes a prostitute. The story explores the conflict between traditional marriage duties and personal survival as young people face impossible choices between family honor and their own lives. One of the decade's bestsellers, it responds to attacks on Chinese marriage customs.