Who is Madame Wang from Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and what is their importance?

Madame Wang is a colorful character. As a matchmaker, she makes a living on her own and travels independently, which is unusual for a woman in her culture. She is highly painted and decorated, and has a bit of a superior attitude. She is also very conniving, but everything she does is out of love. The fact that she matches the two girls as laotongs without Lily's awareness of Snow Flower's family problems was a move made only to better the life of her niece. She bound her niece's feet and took care of her to prepare her for a better marriage, when Snow Flower's own mother would have neglected her and allowed her to become a "daughter-in-law," or a servant.