Novel 'Jin Ping Mei'

Introduction

"Jin Ping Mei" (known in English as "The Plum in the Golden Vase" or "The Golden Lotus") is China's first modern style novel. In this case the word modern is used to describe the fact that this is an original work, Unlike "Journey to The West" and "Water Margin" (novels that were written before "Jin Ping Mei") which were largely based on folk tales and oral stories which had been around for centuries. The "Jin Ping Mei" is a stand alone novel and a work in and of itself. It has an original story line that follows a plot. This plot follows the rise and fall patterns of what we consider to be a novel. It has all the other elements that make up a modern novel, such as written dialogue and plot devices. All the separate parts of this book tie into the main plot, much like how there are often subplots and a main plot in what modern readers enjoy.

Historical Background

This novel was probably written during the middle of Wangli's reign, between 1573 and 1620 AD. This book, or parts of it at least,is first mentioned, in the 1590's. The first mention of the entire book comes somewhere around 1606. The Golden Lotus was first released in 1610 as a wood block stamped form. Earlier versions where handwritten.

The Mid Ming Dynasty was full of social and moral issues. The officials and merchants where all to often corrupt and power hungry. To understand fully why this novel came about it is important to look at the history of the Ming Dynasty. Founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, a man of humble origins who later assumed the name Emperor Hongwu, the Ming became known as not only one of the most stable dynasties, but also one of the most autocratic(Britannica: Ming Dynasty).

The novel is obviously a cultural satire of the situation of China at this point in time. It is filled with allusions to the social constructs and problems of the times. The story is set in the end of the Song Dynasty, but the society it reveals is pure mid Ming dynasty. This is one of the reasons the author remained anonymous. The novel is filled with things that could have angered rulers of the day or members of society. It is often seen as a commentary of the lifestyle of the time, displaying the problems of society for all to see. The anonymity of the author can also probably be attributed to the explicit nature of the novel and how many would react to such a thing. Through describing the main character and his actions in the Song Dynasty, the novel reflects the real life of the mid-Ming Dynasty, when power-wielding officials and merchants came together to oppress and exploit the people and to gain for themselves through illegal means(Cultural China).

The Author

The author of "Jin Ping Mei" decided to remain anonymous, instead using Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (蘭陵笑笑生), the "Scoffing Scholar of Lanling" and a blatant pseudonym. Lanling is somewhere within present-day Zaozhuang City of Shandong Province. Presumably, the author was from Shandong. Lanling is somewhere within present-day Zaozhuang City of Shandong Province. Presumably, the author was from Shandong.

It is possible that he could have been one of the main writers of the day, but no one knows who he was. The probable reason for this is his commentary on the social standings of the time. In the 1590's some of the better known writers were passing parts of the novel around to each other so they could be copied. The author was probably one of these men, but no one ever said which one it was. Arthur Waley, a British Chinese scholar, in his Introduction to the 1947 New York edition translated by Miall, suggests that at the author being an important poet during this time; Xu Wei. Xu Wei was a renowned painter and a well-known member of the "realistic" Gong-an school of writers. Waley objected to the to the traditional attribution to Wang Shih-Chêng, on the grounds of the latter's totally different and more traditional artistic nature. Waley also suggests a comparison of the several poems present in the "Jin Ping Mei" to the poetic production of Xu Wei, drawing attention to the fact that the circulation of the work from Soochow in the 18th century began from the only known complete copy of a manuscript in the possession of the Xu family, attributed to a scholar of the Jiajing period; which could perfectly fit Xu Wei himself(Waley 1947).

Writing Style: Poetry

While the "Jin Ping Mei" is considered to be the first modern novel in China, it still has a different style then most novels. Poetry has played an interval part in Chinese Literature, so it only makes sense that "Jin Ping Mei" would be written with with poetry to describe the most intimate and emotional parts of the novel. While reading, it seems that the beautiful language of poetry helps amplify the emotions and visuals. The poetry is an excellent way to really allow the story to be shown instead of told. *insert examples of the poetry style and visual examples of the work*

Writing Style: Vernacular

Chinese written vernacular (Chinese: 白话; Mandarin Pinyin: báihuà; Jyutping: baak waa) *history* -What is vernacular -Why is it important. -

Main Characters

• Ximen Qing (西門慶 ) He is a rich, ex military official. He is also a merchant (he owns a pharmaceutical warehouse)and, at first, he holds a minor political post. Later he is promoted. If he had a personal motto in life, it would probably be "Wine Women and Song". He and his good friends are constantly out visiting the town's "entertainment" areas.
• Wu Yueh Niang �“Moon Lady”�. She is Ximen's 1st wife and she is not a very "strong" person. As long as there is peace in the house, she is happy.
• Pan Jinlian (潘金蓮)“Golden Lotus”. For most of the story she is one of Ximen's wives, number 5. She is constantly fighting with the 6th wife.
• Li Ping'er (李瓶兒) "Little Vase". She is Ximen Qing's 6th wife, and she is his favorite. She is also the mother of his only son. She is the "Ping" (or "Vase") of the title.
• Pang Chunmei (龐春梅,) "Spring plum blossoms”. She is the servant, and partner in crime, of Pan Jinlian. She is the "Mei" (or "plum")of the title.

• Meanings of the names and how each relate to each other*

Secondary Characters

• Ximen Qing's 2, 3 & 4th wives.
• Other servants (Such as Heart's Desire, the nurse of

Ximen's little boy)

• Townspeople
• Assorted prostitutes, entertainers and pimps
• Various nobles and rich people
• Religious figures

and the list goes on- over 70 pages in one English translation.

The author does an amazing job of keeping track of all these people. When the story leaves one of these secondary characters, it comes back to them later and they are still in the same place where they were left.

Plot

Simply put, this is the story of Ximen Qing's family and how it falls apart. It follows the main character's through their daily activities. For much of the book, the "action" in the family centers on the rivalry of Golden Lotus and Little Vase. They are both competing for the affection's of their husband, Ximen Qing. He, on the other hand, is out on the town with his friends almost every day. He should be more concerned with his family and having more kids. But, he is only interested in having a good time.

"Jinpingmei describes in naturalistic detail the life of the family of a well-to-do businessman, Ximen Qing, who has acquired his wealth largely through dishonest means and who devotes himself to the pursuit of carnal pleasure and heavy drinking. To these ends he acquires six wives and numerous maidservants. Ximen and his fifth wife, Pan Jinlian (Golden Lotus), whom he has acquired by poisoning her first husband, nearly succeed in corrupting the entire household. The first wife, however, remains virtuous and in the end bears a son who becomes a Buddhist monk to atone for his father’s sins. The debauchery of Ximen is related in vivid detail, leading many readers to dismiss the novel as pornography. Others, however, regard the erotic passages as central to the author’s moral purpose of exposing the vanity of pleasure. Despite unofficial censorship because of its eroticism, Jinpingmei became one of China’s most popular novels." Britannica. *needs to be expanded and analyzed and a more in-depth plot. add "what happens now portion*

Controversy

There are some scholars who are of the opinion that Jin Ping Mei is an elaborate allegory. Ximen represents the emperor and his wives are the squabbling ministers. This explanation doesn't fit the story though. It reads too much like real events and real people.

The other question is- "Is, this book the 5th Classic, the greatest novel of the Ming Dynasty? Or is it just another "dirty" book?" There is a great deal of sex in this book, just about every kind you can think of, and the sexual encounters are describe with the same attention to detail that every other scene is. (The first English translator, felt so uncomfortable with all the very explicit sex scenes that he translated those parts into Latin. Later editions are translated entirely into English, even the sexually explicit scenes.)

In spite of the explicit sex scenes, I do not believe that this book is designed to force the reader, to wallow in the cesspool of Ximen's life. The author seems to be just "telling it like it is". In his society, explicit sex seems to be a perfectly acceptable topic of everyday conversations.

Pornographic or A Classic?

There have been many criticisms concerning the explicit nature of the Jin Ping Mei. Ximen himself has six wives and concubines. The work has seventy-one explicit encounters often portrayed through poetry. Having spent most of its life as a banned book, it was not until the Qing Dynasty that the work was accepted as a work of literature of any worth. Being full of classic poetry, beautifully crafted satire, and allegory, the novel is obviously more then just base minded pornography. Some critics have argued that the highly sexual descriptions are essential, and have exerted what has been termed a "liberating" influence on other Chinese novels that deal with sexuality, most notably the Dream of the Red Chamber(He 2007).

Author Li Yu called it one of the Four Marvelous Masterpieces (四大奇書), along with along with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Journey to the West. Acclaimed Qing critic Zhang Zhupo described it as "the most incredible book existing under the heavens" (第一奇書)(as quoted in He 2007), and in the 20th century, influential author Lu Xun also held it in great esteem(He 2007).

JinPingMei

References

Chang, Kang-I & Owen, Stephen. "The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature Volume Two From 1375". New York, Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Various English translations of "Jin Ping Mei" all accessed online.

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