This was an absolutely wonderful read and incredibly enlightening. While I already have some familiarity with late imperial Chinese society, the author explains most things clearly enough that I don't think much, if any, preexisting knowledge is necessary to get a lot out of this, particularly if one is interested in the history of gender-nonconforming people (of many varieties) in non-western cultures. 

Speaking as a trans person, I really appreciated the thoughtfulness with which the author approached the topic and how much care was taken in presenting the stories of people who have been criminalised for simply existing, and how many parallels can be drawn to the treatment of trans people by the transphobic establishment in the UK and the USA in the present day. One of the best things I've read all year, and I'm raring to delve further into Sommer's bibliography.