A Shanghai Woman's First Impression of an Indian Woman in Eileen Chang's "Love in a Fallen City"

The scene is at a cocktail party at a Hong Kong hotel during the 1930's.

迎面遇見一群洋紳士，眾星捧月一般簇擁著一個女人。流蘇先就注意到那人的漆黑的長髮，結成雙股大辮，高高盤在頭上。那印度女人，這一次雖然是西式裝束，依舊帶著濃厚的東方色彩。玄色輕紗氅底下，她穿著金魚黃緊身長衣，蓋住了手，只露出晶亮的指甲。領口挖成極狹的Ｖ形，直開到腰際，那是巴黎最新的款式，有個名式，喚做"一線天"。她的臉色黃而油潤，像飛了金的觀音菩薩，然而她的影沉沉的大眼睛裡躲著妖魔。古典型的直鼻子，只是太尖，太薄一點。粉紅的厚重的小嘴唇，彷彿腫著似的。柳原站住了腳，向她微微鞠了一躬。流蘇在那裡看她，她也昂然望著流蘇，那一雙驕矜的眼睛，如同隔著幾千里地，遠遠的向人望過來。柳原便介紹道："這是白小姐。這是薩黑荑妮公主。"

Directly inside they encountered a group of gentleman, the group of stars gathered around the moon as the commoners gathered around the woman.  Liu Su first noticed the person's pitch black hair braided into a high disk on her head.  This Indian woman, although is currently dressed in Western attire, wears a deep rich Eastern color.  At the bottom of her black fine gauze overcoat, she wore a goldfish yellow cassock, covering her hands, only showing her shiny crystal fingers.  Her neckline closed a narrow V-shape, which ran down towards her waistline.  This is Paris' newest trend called "A Line of Heaven."  Her face was yellow and glossy, like the floating gold Bodhisattva Guanyin, and her deep within her dark eyes hides a demon.  Only her classical style straight nose was a little too sharp, a little too flat.  Her pink thick little lips look as if they were swollen.  Liu Yuan stopped his tracks, faced her with a subtle bow.  Liu Su was there looking at her, and she boldly a looked at Liu Su.  Those conceited eyes, as if separated by a few thousand miles of earth, distantly facing back.  Liu Yuan then made an introduction, "This is Miss Bai.  And this is Lady Sahaini."