In the opinion of literary critic Wang Dewei, Everlasting Regret is about the complex relationship between a woman and the city in which she lives. "There are countless numbers of women just like Wang Qiyao in Shanghai. Their heyday and subsequent decline have a significance that goes beyond their own personal fortunes and choices; they represent what this city does for them and to them."
「像王琦瑤這樣的女子，在上海有千千百百，她們的鋒頭與墮落，不只代表了個人的際遇抉擇，也代表了這座城市對她們的恩義與辜負」，評論家王德威在評論中認為王安憶在《長恨歌》裡細寫了一位女子與一座城市的糾纏關係。