The
Harem of Hsi Men by Jin Ping Mei. Early Chinese literature. Almost unreadable
in modern day novels, the basic premise involves a rich Chinese who has no
children or other pleasures. One day his wife allows him to buy a couple girls
to sing, dance and play flutes all day to entertaining him. One of the girls
dies early on, but the young Chin Lien (called Gold Lotus) becomes his true
entertainment. She’s smart, can read and write, and knows how to apply makeup,
and it isn’t long before Master Chang desires her for other, more private,
entertainment. When his wife catches on, she immediately tries to put a stop to
this hanky-panky, and forces Master Chang to give the girl away in marriage.
The crafty old Chang gives her to his poor tenant also residing in the master’s
home, and when the old tenant is out working, Master Chang carries on his
affair with the young Gold Lotus. When the wife finally has enough, she forces
the tenant and Chin Lien out, and away from her husband’s clutches for good. At
least the book does have a great cover, but the story is too old-fashioned to
really be worth reading for modern taste.
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