The Garden of Perfect Brightness

Set in 1720s China, this story follows Giuseppe Castiglione, an ambitious Italian painter recruited by Jesuits to serve the emperor, and Niuhuru, a tall, grey-eyed girl chosen as a concubine and sent to the Garden of Perfect Brightness. As Giuseppe works to transform the Garden into a wonderland and Niuhuru rises in prominence, questions about the true cost of their pursuits and their feelings for each other begin to emerge. The narrative vividly explores themes of art, ambition, and longing against a richly depicted historical backdrop.