The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng

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. ∞ Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To all those students, friends, and colleagues W H O PA RT I C I PAT E D W I T H M E I N T H E E X C I T E M E N T O F E X P L O R I N G T H E W O R L D O F T H E C H I N P ’ I N G M E I O V E R T H E PA S T QU A RT E R C E N T U R Y This page intentionally left blank. PL2698.H73C4713 1993 895.I'346–dc20 92-45054 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in ElectraLTstd Printed on acid-free paper. (Princeton library of Asian translations) Includes bibliographical references and index. P R I N C E T O N U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S P R I N C E T O N A N D O X F O R D The Plum in the GoldenVase or, CHIN P’ING MEI VOLUME FOUR: THE CLIMAX Translated by David Tod Roy Copyright © 2011 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hsiao-hsiao-sheng The plum in the golden vase, or, Chin P’ing Mei / translated by David Tod Roy. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng