Xiao Hong (June 1911-January 1940) was a literary giant in the 1930s. Liu Yazi spoke highly of this talented writer. Lu Xun and Mao Dun thought that she was the most promising woman writer in China. She experienced ups and downs in her hard life and passed away shortly after she showed her talents. In spite of the fact that Xiao Hong only wrote for less than 10 years, she had left behind literary works of more than 1 million words for her motherland's literary treasure house. Her representative works such as Life and Death Fair, Legends of Hu Lan River and the Month of March in a Small Town have become well recognized by the world. Xiao Hongwas a creative writer of country life. Owing to her unique style, she had developed a literary school of her own. More and more scholars, experts and literature lovers have begun to appreciate and admire her works.
Covering an area of 7,125 square meters, the former residence of Xiao Hong is divided into two courtyards. Xiao Hong's family used the eastern courtyard. The two courtyards have 30 rooms, 8 in the eastern one and 22 in the western one. There is a 2,000-square-meter vegetable garden behind five rooms in the eastern courtyard. This is the rear garden referred to in her novel.
