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The Golden Lotus: A Translation from the Chinese Original, of the Novel "Chin P'ing Mei"
  
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The Golden Lotus: A Translation from the Chinese Original, of the Novel "Chin P'ing Mei" (Hardcover)

by Clement Egerton (Author), Wang Shih-Cheng (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Hardcover (Revised edition) 6 used & new from £24.74
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul; New edition edition (3 Jan 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 071030496X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0710304964
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 15 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,065,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
"The Golden Lotus", which Pearl S. Buck called "the greatest novel of physical love China has ever produced", was first published in England in 1939, in an expurgated version consistent with the standards of the time. It is now published unexpurgated, giving a full and complete translation into English. The character of the book is such that it can be studied by those interested in the cultural history of China, as a national work - in the same way that the "Decameron", "Arabian Nights" and the "Canterbury Tales" are regarded as national works. It offers an observation of social and sexual life in China during the period when it was written. At the same time, it also addresses a wider field of sexuality. "The Golden Lotus" is a portrait of family life in a polygamous household during the Sung dynasty, in the reign of Hui Tsung (AD 1101-26). It is told with an extreme frankness and detail. It is an epic work that follows the lives of Hsi-men Ching, his wives, the women of his household, the singing girls with whom he associates, his disreputable friends and the officials with whom he comes into contact. A popular tradition says that the writer to whom the work is attributed poisoned the pages of the manuscript of "The Golden Lotus" and then offered it to his enemy, the Prime Minister, in the hope that he would become so excited by the subject, and so engrossed in his reading, that he would absorb the poison as he turned the pages. "The Golden Lotus" existed in manuscript only for many years and, when it was first printed nearly a 100 years after its assumed author's death, it was promptly placed on the list of prohibited books by the famous Emperor K'ang Hsi. This edition is presented in the form of a four volume set in a slipcase.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's really a great read!, 29 May 2003
By Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Golden Lotus (Paperback)
Golden Lotus is the fictional story of Hsi-men Ching, a wealthy and influential man in Sung China. Hsi-men Ching was born into a wealthy family, and his extravagant and debauched lifestyle is legendary. However, when he meets the beautiful (and married) Golden Lotus (Chin P'ing Mei) his scheming to get her results in murder, and sets in motion a train of events that will eventually bring him and his whole family (he has six wives by the end of the story) to grief.

This book was originally written as both a morality play and a work of pornography (it was said to be Mao Tse-tung's favorite book). Clement Egerton translated the book into English in 1939, and to clean it up translated the more salacious bits into Latin (which gives the book a somewhat disjointed and surreal feeling). But, that said, the story is easy to read, and quite exciting. Indeed, the story is so gripping that it is hard to believe that it is not a modern work (except for that crazy Latin bit).

So, if you like erotic literature, and are not frightened by big books, or like great oriental literature, then I highly recommend this book to you. It's really a great read!

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