The Golden Lotus Volume 1: Jin Ping Mei (1)

by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng, Clement Egerton (Translator), Robert Hegel (Introduction)

A saga of ruthless ambition, murder, and lust, this classic novel—admired in its own time for its literary qualities and biting indictment of the immorality and cruelty of its age—lays bare the rivalries within a wealthy family while chronicling its rise and fall.

This edition features a new introduction by Robert Hegel of Washington University, and contains the complete text as translated by Clement Egerton with the assistance of Shu Qingchun, who as Lao She became one of the most prominent Chinese writers of the twentieth century.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, China, Chinese Literature, Asia

640 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2011

About the author

Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (Chinese: 蘭陵笑笑生) or "The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling", a clear pseudonym.

Jin Ping Mei (Chinese: 金瓶梅; pinyin: Jīn Píng Méi), translated as The Plum in the Golden Vase or The Golden Lotus, is a Chinese naturalistic novel composed in vernacular Chinese during the late Ming Dynasty. The anonymous author took the pseudonym Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (蘭陵笑笑生), "The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling," and his identity is otherwise unknown (the only clue is that he hailed from Lanling in present-day Shandong).

The identity of the author has not yet been established, but the coherence of the style and the subtle symmetry of the narrative point to a single author. The British orientalist Arthur Waley, writing before recent research, in his Introduction to the 1942 translation suggested that the strongest candidate as author was Xu Wei, a renowned painter and member of the "realistic" Gong'an school of letters, urging that a comparison could be made of the poems in the Jin Ping Mei to the poetic production of Xu Wei, but left this task to future scholars. The "morphing" of the author from Xu Wei to Wang Shizhen would be explained by the practice of attributing "a popular work of literature to some well-known writer of the period".

Reviews

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng was the author of one of the 5 Great Chinese novels. This is his contribution to immortal letters. There are many English versions of Jin Ping Mei. The five volume edition, which is more than 2000 pages in length, suffers from hundreds of pages of notes. If you are interested in all the minutiae of Ming Era Chinese aristocracy - like what four hundred different varieties of flowers symbolized, that is the version for you. I chose the 2 volume version by Clement Egerton, weighing in at over 1300 pages. I really don't need more detail than this translation has. It is already about on the level of Virginia Woolf. Elevating the prose even more with detail and poetic imagery would slow me down. The translator mentioned that he left out a great number of poems. That being said, the extra poems are almost incomprehensible without contextual explanations, from what I've read. The insertion of poetry did not add very much in volume one, where it appears, but you can tell the author was going for some lewd puns. Good for him. The other notable fact is that this translation is based off the one from centuries earlier, where the dirty parts had been rendered into Latin. This humorous obscurantism only created more work for the gutter-minded readers. Honestly, who would pick up this book nowadays, unless they had a particular interest in Chinese literature? That was my thought. There are far more sensual and erotic things to read than this out there, and far easier to come by. You should cast aside all your assumptions and read this near-masterpiece as a superb example of storytelling - of proof that Chinese literature was far more developed than the European equivalent before 1600.

Overall, this was an engrossing read, if a little repetitive. It speaks a lot to the same class dysfunctions you will find in Story of the Stone. But the relationships here are all interesting and meaningful. The treatment of servants is very brutal. Ximen is the foremost figure of the novel, and his abuse of the women surrounding him is telling. For centuries this was condemned and printed in secret throughout China, like all those "dirty" French novels were throughout Europe. The difference here is that by today's standards, this is almost PG-13. There are a few mentions of sex and anatomy, but this work is characterized far more by its psychological portrayals, its world of corrupt bureaucracy and obsession with money. That it is still thought-provoking today shows that it is a wise and timeless tale, with some love and spice, a little conflict here and there, and a lot of atmosphere. It is a luxurious read for the serious culturally minded reader. I look forward to continuing this intricate, lengthy study of Ming decadence with volume 2.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a Ravel like rhythm and repetition that pervades this 16th-17th century Chinese novel. Eat lasciviously, have adulterated sex with any and everyone, use one’s corrupted wealth for bribery, intimidation and violence, now repeat. At times it feels like a little too much of the same thing. Yet, to fully understand and appreciate this novel, it has to be read in context. The author is making a statement about society during his lifetime (cloaked as 12th-century China). He depicts a wealthy man who is lazy and foul and wastes his inheritance on excessive food, alcohol and women. He lives in a veritable house of cards. One sees chinks in his life-structure immediately. He manages to superficially and repeatedly mend these chinks through successful bribes and corruption, which only serve to further embolden him. He will stop at nothing to protect his life style, including violence. This story has a dramatic telling. It is a saga whose purpose is to depict corrupt individuals, especially those in government and other places of power. It does that and more. It illustrates how history truly does repeat itself while providing a glimpse of the social customs of the time. I am intrigued and look forward to reading the next installment of this early satiric social commentary.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a reputation of being one of the most pornographic classics in Chinese literature.
After reading it, I found the corruption and the malicious way the main characters treated their servants are more disturbing. I think the book has been banned, not because of how it describes the sexual encounters, but rather because it shows how the corrupted government officials collude with each other to get rich, be above the law and get away with murder.
It makes me wonder whether this book is a reflection of the contemporary society.

[Daniel Havey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing.

A gripping tale that is as thoroughly relevant today as it was 500 years ago.

I was unaware until now that the Chinese had been using smoked quartz spectacles as sunglasses one thousand years ago.

[Abert Abbzdj · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Basel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one of the most famous Chinese literary works (with an epic scale of over 1200 pages), we have a novel that examines the value of one's life, its actions, and their consequences. The main theme here is to see that no matter how easily the mighty might rise and believe they are untouchable, they will eventually fall and their world begins to decay. The Golden Lotus is a novel that covers the lives of tens of characters and their relationships, yet it focuses on two central figures: On the one hand, we have Ximen Qing, a wealthy merchant and magistrate and libertine who's main life goals are wealth and sexual conquests. On the other hand, we have Pan Jinlian, a woman who, after being dissatisfied with her marriage, conspires with Ximen Qing to kill her husband and ends up becoming his 5th wife, aspiring to gain supremacy over his household.

This is a really good novel with brilliant architecture. It takes us on different journeys with its characters' arcs. It focuses on human nature and is character driven. It will take time and patience to finish, but, to me, it was worth it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Where to begin? I guess I should start with acknowledging that this book is another telling of the story of Wu Song from another Chinese classic called "The Water Margin." However, it ends differently and is told from a different point of view. The beginning is true to the original story but after Wu Song is framed, the story shifts and follows Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian. I would also like to remind the reader that just because a character is a lead character in a book doesn't mean that they are a good person. Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian are horrible people. That does not, however, affect how much I enjoyed the book.

Ximen Qing is probably best described as a "godfather" type character. He pays off the authority in order to keep himself out of trouble. Sometimes he extends this courtesy to others. Additionally, he is very wealthy and will offer his assistance for the right price. He is a complete lecher with a one-track mind dedicated solely to obtaining sexual pleasure. Many times in this book, he takes lovers which eventually become wives (the grand total is six) or mistresses. He is also a frequent patron of brothels. Ximen is not above sleeping with other men's wives and even commits murder in order to keep them for himself. However, usually once Ximen obtains the woman he drops them like they are hot.

Pan Jinlian is nothing more than a spoiled, self-centered brat. She spends this entire volume throwing temper tantrums. Additionally, Jinlian is VERY jealous. So much so, that she is jealous of a baby because he and his mother get more attention than she does. Jinlian is also a co-murderer. She enlists the help of Ximen and Grandmother Wang to kill her husband so that she can run off with Ximen. While she attempts to control Ximen through sex, she ultimately fails. Since Ximen has such a voracious sexual appetite, no one woman can please him (although Li Ping'er and Wang Liu'er seem to be favorites of his).

The reputation of this book is well deserved. Scholars have labeled this book as "pornographic." While I assume that it is tamer than "50 Shade of Grey" (I have never read it), it has definitely earned it's rightful place in the pantheon of naughty books. There are a lot of poetic euphemisms used to describe the act of lovemaking. However things start to get more explicit in Chapter 27 (the title of that chapter is "The Garden of Delights" so......) and continue that way throughout the rest of this volume.

I must admit, it did get frustrating watching Ximen prosper after all of the crimes he committed. I hold out hope in 3 people:
Wu Song - After reading "The Water Margin" I know that he behaves himself in and is released from prison. Hoping he comes back to rule ass;
Sun Xue'e - Ximen's fourth wife who he treats like absolute crap. I am really hoping that she has some tricks up her sleeve; and
Qiuju - Jinlian's maid who she constantly beats. I'm hoping that she takes revenge on her cruel mistress.

If you are a fan of Chinese literature, classic literature, or naughty books then I would recommend this. If you are a casual reader who sees this and thinks it sounds good, I advise you to exercise caution. Especially if you are easily offended by sex scenes. Well, it's on to Volume 2 for me!

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading Clement Egerton's version of Jin Ping Mei which is The Golden Lotus and was published in four volumes of around 25 chapters each (just started Volume III and it's chapter 54).

I enjoyed the first volume considerable, even though I know I'm missing all manner of things in translation and even though I suspect this is one of those novels that requires considerable study to really "get." While things get denser later, once I got past the first chapter or so I found this volume a pretty easy read; it kept my attention and, although there are a boatload of characters and I cannot keep track of all of them, I still always had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Later volumes I need the "cast of characters" pages from this one.

I assume the poetry in the Chinese has a strong metre or rhyme or alliteration or puns or whatever, but Egerton is just translating the ideas and I still find some of it quite beautiful. This one, for example:

Lowering clouds gather from the four corners of the sky
A chain of mist binds the far distances.
His-la-la. The air is filled with flying drops that veil the sun.
Pit-pit. They beat upon the old plantain tree.
The winds blow, and the old juniper tree is uplifted,
Uplifted and overthrown.
Once its topmost branches threatened the sky.

The crashing thunder-claps grow louder,
The mountains of T'ai and Sung are shaken as by an earthquake,
Yet now the sultry heat is washed away, its heaviness is banished.
The fields of young corn are fresh again
New water races down the four rivers.
The green bamboo and scarlet pomegranate
Are made clean once more.

I know "clouds and rain" can refer to lovemaking but I have no idea if this poem, in the context of the novel, is supposed to have sexual overtones. For me it works as a nature poem and, as I recall, I thought it did enhance the events where it's placed, and as a rule I think the poetry works even in the English version. The poetry helps keep me "in China" as I'm trying to visualize things.

That said, much of the poetry Egerton includes does have sexual overtones, and, while I believe he includes all the story, he excludes a lot of the poetry, presumably because he does not see how it relates or doesn't think an English reader will. English speakers have to go to The Plum in the Golden Vase, a five volume version by David Tod Roy for that.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of a two volume set, so before I make a final judgment, I’d like to finish the second first. Thus far, I like the story quite a bit, and not merely for the titillating parts. To me, the lasciviousness littered throughout this first volume is entertaining and amusing, for sure, but it’s not the main reason I’m enjoying the story. As in The Dream of the Red Chamber, there is a sense that one of these days all of this will come crashing down upon the head of Hsi-men Ch'ing and his entire household; it has been alluded to here and there.
Why not give this first volume a full 5 stars then? Simply put: The narration lingers on details and excessive prattle that, while reveals a great deal about aristocratic life, manners, customs, norms, and expectations, it does tends to drag on.

Side note: I am actually reading the Roy and Egerton translations side-by-side. Upon comparing both translations, I must say that the Roy translation is a bit more modern in language— The modern American reader will find it particularly pleasant to read whereas the Egerton translation is British, and obviously from a different era.

Both versions are great, but my observation is Egerton version of cuts out most of the unnecessary poetry that adds nothing to the actual plots. I chose mainly focus on reading the Egerton translation because it’s been reduced to two six-hundred page volumes without indexes and appendices. Whereas the royalty translation includes appendices indexes and other material that I find unnecessary to understand the plot. It’s not worthy to mention though that the Roy is a bit more explicit and it’s a pervertedness. Egerton uses words like penis, vagina, etc. while Roy employs words like cock, cunt, etc. You get the idea.

Indeed, both have their merits, however Roy’s translation is five volumes in length sold at USD $30 each whereas Egerton’s translation is a two volume set sold at USD $15 each.

That’s all for now.

[Justin Newland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am writing a novel set in the Ming Dynasty China, and was looking around for a novel either set in that time, or written in that time. Jin Ping Mei was writing around 1590, which was near enough for me. I did pick up a lot of detail about the period, which is what i was looking for, but at 640 pages and 53 chapters (and it's only part one!), it's a long slog. There were times when I felt like giving up on it but I made it through. Just.
It's written in omniscient point of view, which I guess if what you'd expect for the time it was written.
The story is pretty much as the blurb describes, and not much more. It describes the milieu of the time, with dissolute characters, with nothing more to do than explore their own hedonism, and sexual pleasure to boot. It details their obsession with the class structure, servitude, eating and drinking, and making money, being entertained by musicians, actors, monks telling fortunes, making babies, and being seen to be successful.
The main male character is sex mad, corrupt, cruel, promiscuous, with not much else to say about him. He has six wives and what was most surprising and unexpected was the candid and detailed eroticism the author employs almost all the way through.
The female lead is wife number five, who is particularly ambitious, and also cruel, and uses sex unashamedly to gain control over her husband, in whatever way she can, and that means becoming more and more licentious and promiscuous. So, I can't say I empathised with any of the characters, since they had nothing to appeal to the reader, modern or not.

[Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epic chinese novel of ~1600 CE. Has a couple of introductions placing it in the context of its original writing, and then in its translation, which was ~1930.
Fairly large cast of characters, as one rich chap continually marries more wives, takes others as mistresses and visits the local brothel. The wives meanwhile have their own relationships and pecking order and those in favour or out.
It's ... fairly circumspect in most of its early descriptions, favouring coy phrasings such as "they went to the bedroom and did what lovers do" or giving references to sexual games played which are not at all enlightening.
In the second half it seems to get a little more explicit, but it seems like the English translation might aim for the poetic and the suggestive more so than the original Chinese. Or such is my impression.
A lot of politics and vying for favour, and enlightening descriptions of Chinese society around the turn of the 17th century.
But it is pretty dense to read, and there is a certain sameness (even if escalation, and buildup) over the course of the book as Ximen Qing builds his wealth, his prestige, and his family/lovers.

[Asaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pluses:
- the erudition of the translator
- history, culture, the mentality of China. The author uses historical setting to show vices of his contemporaries
- the rivalry between wives and servants
- sometimes hilarious purple prose
- presentation of Chinese people's life during Song/Ming dynasty
- not shying away from describing corruption of civil servants
Minuses
- too many erotic scenes sometimes downright distasteful. I should have known what I was getting into. I've read some scandalous novels at their times like Ovid's 'Art of love' or Decameron, but Both novels are pretty much tame in comparison.
- lecherous, repulsive protagonist

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who wanted to get into more classical Chinese literature, this was an easy start. It's not an overwhelming translation and the style is easy to keep up with unlike many classics across the board. It's funny, romantic, dramatic, at times very disgusting, and like a TV show that just won't end, repetitive with continuously irrational character motivations that keep you drawn in. Obviously, be aware of what you're getting into, the content matches the morals of the times.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I'm giving this three stars is because the translation job is so woefully inept. I think this was based off an earlier translation that...well, editorialised and marginalised a lot of elements. I can tell there's an epic Chinese novel in there somewhere, it's just buried under the translator's prudishness.

tl;dr: go with a different translation.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the writing feels hard to read - it is hard to tell if this is related to being a translation or the style of writting. A facinating story of a weathly pologamous household. Although very flowery in language still very sexually explict. I love the different dramas and interpersonal relationships. It also looks and many of the daily issues in a household.

[Frank Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my Chinese friends said she had to read this under the bed clothes with a torch when she was younger. Definitely not a Young Adult novel, though they could learn a lot!
And in defence, it is a classic.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little long. It’s as if D.H. Lawrence were a literate Chinese man some centuries ago. Mostly held my attention and parts were 5 stars, however most was slow going although sometimes highly insightful.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

bisexual king ximen ping hanging out w his strumpets

[receive and bite you · Rating 4 out of 5]

I told my friend about the plum scene and he sent me a Kobe gif