The Lover:

One day, I was already old, in the entrance of a public place, a man came up to me. He introduced himself and said: "I've known you for years. Everyone says you were beautiful when you were young, but I want to tell you I think you're more beautiful now than then. Rather than your face as a young woman, I prefer your face as it is now. Ravaged.

    -Marguerite Duras, The Lover

That's the opening paragraph from The Lover by Maguerite Duras, a French writer. There was also a film based on the book. It's a good opening. It certainly makes me want to keep reading. 

Duras was a favorite author of Xiaolu Guo.