[2] After passing the college entrance examination in 1977, Lin Bai studied library science at Wuhan University from 1978 to 1982.

[2] Lin Bai moved to Beijing in the early 1990s to work for the newspaper Chinese Cultural Forum (Zhongguo wenhua bao).

[4] In 1995-1996, Lin Bai encountered several censorship issues due to the description of "autoerotic activity and homoerotic relationships" in her book.

[5] The story is said to be inspired from the author's shift from living in the small town of Beiliu to moving to Beijing.

[5] The common themes shared by both novels are loneliness, sexuality, narcissism, the mix of autobiography and fiction, escape, taboos and privacy.

[3][8] The Chinese Book Review (Zhonghua dushubao) depicted the novel as "pornography" (chungong) or "obscenity" (huangse) when it was first published.

[6][8] The marketing of this novel is considered by some to have "repackaged" the female narrative and experience to interest the male counterparts through voyeurism.

[4] Moreover, even though it was not Lin Bai's main goal through her narration, the novel has been perceived as a "complex view of homophobia as a form of internalized social discrimination".

[4] These three publications marked Lin Bai's entrance as a major contemporary female writer in China.

[2] Lin Bai's writing style is distinctive by her focus on specific issues women may face during their adulthood in the 1990s Chinese society .

[3] Lin Bai is also critiqued for her publications serving as means for "voyeurism and confirming traditional ideas about gender difference".