Chapter 45 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens in July with newspapers publishing a photo of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River in Wuhan, claiming he broke speed records. The narrator—a young woman studying science in Beijing—immediately doubts the claim, noting that Mao is seventy-three years old. She wants to discuss this with Ping, the only person she can speak honestly with, but he has been avoiding her for two weeks following a falling-out she blames on her own boldness.
She finds him crouched by a lake, clearing willow debris from his bicycle wheel. After an awkward exchange in which she apologizes and suggests they pretend nothing happened, Ping proposes they swim, echoing Mao's famous swim with evident amusement. They race in the water—he is the stronger swimmer, but she is more stubborn and overtakes him when he tires. Floating on their backs, they watch clouds drift overhead and feel outside of space and time. The lotus flowers have bloomed, and the narrator reflects on the invisible code that instructed them to become what they are.
After swimming, Ping kisses her so lightly it seems it might not be happening, then rides away on his bicycle, leaving a lotus blossom in her hand.
Back home, Lanlan is crying. Her father has been arrested and imprisoned without trial, accused by his colleagues of being a traitor. Neither Lanlan nor her mother can visit him without risking their own accusations. Lanlan forces the narrator to discard her Western clothes, books, and other possessions in the lake—the miniskirt, high heels, lipstick, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Camus, and biographies of American scientists. The narrator protests but complies, watching the dresses flutter down like women ending their lives.
Lanlan reminds her about her mother's bracelet. The narrator cannot bring herself to throw it in the lake, so she digs a hole with a sharp stone, buries the bracelet, marks the spot with four smooth stones, and promises to return.
Later, Ping brings the narrator to the roof of the biology building using keys given to him by their professor. They sit among etched lovers' names, discussing dreams of escape—France, America, even a hot-air balloon or a dragon. They talk about DNA's spiral-staircase structure, hybridized rice, and whether inherited traits can be changed. The narrator declares she will be Madame Curie, though Ping notes she is in the wrong country for that. They begin spending nearly every evening on the roof together.
Key Events
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Newspapers report Mao's record-breaking swim in the Yangtze; the narrator doubts the claim.
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The narrator and Ping reconcile after a two-week avoidance, swimming together in the lake.
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Ping kisses the narrator and leaves a lotus blossom in her hand.
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Lanlan's father is arrested without trial on treason accusations.
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Lanlan forces the narrator to destroy Western clothes and books in the lake.
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The narrator buries her mother's bracelet, marking the spot with stones.
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Ping and the narrator begin meeting on the biology building roof, discussing escape and DNA.
Character Development
The narrator reveals a tension between her scientific training and her inherited Chinese beliefs—she does not believe in monsters but cannot fully abandon beliefs in ghosts, ancestors, and luck. She is described as too brave by both her mother and Ping, a trait that both causes problems and defines her. Her love for Ping makes her feel more than the sum of her parts, transcending her status as a girl among seven hundred million people.
Ping is revealed as shy but at ease in water, from a village surrounded by rivers and lakes. He is cautious—checking to see if they are being watched—but also takes risks, using the professor's keys to access the roof. His features are described as a language telegraphing his skepticism about escape.
Lanlan transforms from the carefree, glamorous girl the narrator first met into someone plain and frightened, her shoulders slumped in a new posture. Her fear is contagious, and the narrator adopts it over her prior happiness.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Propaganda and official lies: The Mao swimming story is presented as obviously false—the narrator notes he is seventy-three and could not have broken speed records. Yet everyone must declare the news amazing. This establishes the theme of compulsory belief in official narratives.
The lotus as symbol: The lotus blossom Ping leaves in the narrator's hand connects to the lotus pads in the lake and the lotus seed at the library. The narrator reflects that an invisible code instructed the flowers to become what they are, linking natural growth to genetic coding and to the inevitability she feels about her relationship with Ping.
DNA and genetic code: The narrator's excitement about DNA—that four nucleotides encode who we are—parallels the invisible code of the lotuses. Hybridized rice, better than its individual parents, raises questions about whether inherited traits can be changed. This connects to the novel's broader themes of identity and inheritance.
The roof as sanctuary: The roof of the biology building, with its etched lovers' names, becomes a private space where the narrator and Ping can be themselves. It is a place of escape from surveillance, where they can discuss dreams they do not dare tell anyone else.
Swimming as transcendence: Floating in the lake, the narrator feels outside of space and time, able to picture herself anywhere. This is a brief escape from the limitations of her country.
The buried bracelet: The narrator's mother's bracelet, buried rather than thrown in the lake, represents her refusal to fully sever her connection to her past. Marking the spot with stones and promising to return suggests hope for recovery.
Superstition versus communist atheism: The narrator reflects that the communists destroyed the old gods but belief could not be discarded on command. She believes in luck—specifically, a lack of it.
Mortality and the desire for time: The narrator's reflection on Mao's rumored belief that sex would prolong his life connects to her own desire to halt time in the moment of happiness with Ping.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter establishes the central romance of the narrator's youth and the political context that shapes it. The contrast between the narrator's happiness with Ping and Lanlan's fear for her father shows how personal joy exists alongside political terror. The chapter introduces key motifs—DNA, hybridization, the lotus—that will likely resonate throughout the novel. The narrator's decision to bury rather than destroy her mother's bracelet suggests a commitment to her past that may have consequences. The chapter also establishes the narrator's dream of becoming Madame Curie and her desire to escape China, setting up questions about what will happen to her and Ping.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the narrator bury her mother's bracelet rather than throw it in the lake like her other possessions?
The narrator cannot bring herself to destroy the bracelet because it is all she has of her mother. Unlike the Western clothes and books, which represent a dangerous identity she must shed, the bracelet is a personal heirloom. By burying it and marking the spot with four smooth stones, she preserves the possibility of returning to claim it—a promise that suggests she does not fully accept the necessity of abandoning her past.
2. How does the chapter use the lotus flower as a symbol?
The lotus appears in multiple forms: the pads in the lake, the blossom Ping leaves in the narrator's hand, and the seed at the library. The narrator reflects that an invisible code instructed the flowers to bloom, linking natural growth to genetic coding. The lotus also serves as a private code between the narrator and Ping—a symbol of their connection that exists outside the official narratives of the state.
3. What does the narrator's reaction to the Mao swimming story reveal about her character?
The narrator immediately doubts the official story—Mao is seventy-three and could not have broken speed records. Yet she knows she must express false excitement like everyone else. This shows her critical thinking, her awareness of propaganda, and her ability to self-censor. It also establishes why she values Ping: he is the only person she can speak honestly with.
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