Mrs. Spring Fragrance

Mrs. Spring Fragrance is trying to help Laura, a young Chinese-American woman who has been in love with Kai Tzu for some time. Because of her parents’ insistence that she marry the man they have chosen for her, Laura believes she will have to live her life in misery...


“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” is the title story in Sui Sin Far’s first and only collection of short stories. The collection also contains twenty stories about children, collectively known as “Tales of Chinese Children.” As a whole, the collection discusses issues of racism, assimilation, and the alienation of Chinese Americans in North America. 


The title story describes the matchmaking tendencies of a recent arrival to the United States, who eagerly assimilates American customs and language and meddles in the lives of her neighbors.