From the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581), women used to put on huadian, a kind of flower-shaped facial accessory cut from diverse materials. The loose pieces would sometimes fall to the ground like petals drifting in the spring breeze. And in ancient China, upper-class women and men alike used to perfume their clothes and ornaments, and carry scented sachets with them, so their fragrance would announce their arrival and linger after their departure.

"At the time, men could not arbitrarily approach aristocratic women, so perhaps the aromatic accessories left behind by the ladies induced in the writer an imagination of beauty," Meng says. "When you place the story in its original context, taking the lifestyle and customs at the time into consideration, you'd know this fanciful story is grounded in reality."

The texts passed down from ancient China have similar stories and legends. But because most of them were written as snippets, today's readers might not understand the context, she says.