![]() ![]() So let’s get that out of the way first: everyone who is going to read Chin P’ing Mei for its titillation factor is going to be severely disappointed. ![]() ![]() It is probably most famous (or possibly notorious, depending on your preferences) for its explicit eroticism, to the point where it even has been called pornographic. The novel takes place over several years and centers around the fate of merchant Hsi-men Ch’ing and his extensive household (a wife, several concubines – the number varies throughout the narrative – and a host of servants), his rise, his glory days and eventual downfall and dissolution of his estate. I even have a theory of my own, as it happens (on which more later). “Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng” apparently means “The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling” and is an obvious pseudonym the author remains unknown to this day, although the editor of my edition (on which later more) has a theory about who may have written the novel. It was written in the 16th century, that is about two hundred years before The Scholars and is considerably longer – the English translation spans five volumes of about 800-1,000 pages each, and while there is a lot of editorial material in each volume, I’d estimate it comes to at least 3,000 pages total. The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P’ing Mei is another of the Six Classic Chinese novels. ![]()
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