Each of the ten characters are described in a double page spread, the right hand containing texts in both Chinese and English and the left hand with hand coloured illustrations on silk , delicately rendered. All ten ‘couples’ represent the Confucian of harmony between husband and wife. The book 'works' from right to left and the reverses of the pages are left blank. At each end are fabric covered boards, the front board with a pasted paper inscription in Chinese with a small red seal mark. Other examples are finished with boards in wood, but these are, perhaps, not original or a more deluxe version of the volume. In addition there are other books in a near identical format and presumably issued by the same publisher including ‘Stories of Ancient Chinese Noted Beauties’ and ‘Eight Fairies Festival’.

The illustrations are in excellent condition with the colours still bright. The yellow finish to the paper is original and perhaps intended to give an 'antique' effect. Each of the end boards are very slightly scuffed at the borders. Some of the pages, including the title page and the two end papers, suffer from varying degrees of 'worm hole' perforation. There are also various small tears. A full set of illustrations can be seen above and further images (and a more detailed condition report) are, of course, available on request. But these condition issues should not necessarily detract from the charm of the item which is an attempt to present some of the folk lore of China for Westerners keen to know more about the culture of a country which had attracted such popular interest during the Victorian period.