Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Courtesans and Opium: Romantic Illusions of the Fool of Yangzhou
Courtesans and Opium: Romantic Illusions of the Fool of Yangzhou
Courtesans and Opium: Romantic Illusions of the Fool of Yangzhou
Ebook490 pages7 hours

Courtesans and Opium: Romantic Illusions of the Fool of Yangzhou

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

In his preface, the anonymous author of Courtesans and Opium describes his book as an act of penance for thirty years spent patronizing the brothels of Yangzhou. Written in the 1840s, his story is filled with vice and dark consequence, portraying the hazards of the city's seedy underbelly and warning others against the example of the Fool.

Chinese literature's first true "city novel," Courtesans and Opium recounts the illustrious career of a debauched soul enveloped by enthralling pursuits and romantic illusions. While socially acceptable marriages were arranged and often loveless, brothels offered men accomplished courtesans who served as both enchanting companions and sensual lovers. These professional sirens dressed in the latest styles and dripped with gold, silver, and jewels. From an early age, they were taught to excel at various arts and graces, which transformed the brothel into a kind of club for men to meet, exchange gossip, and smoke opium at their leisure.

The Fool's fable follows five sworn brothers and their respective relationships with Yangzhou courtesans, revealing in acute detail the lurid materialism of this dangerous world-its violence and corruption as well as its seductive but illusory promise. Never before translated into English, Courtesans and Opium offers a brilliant window into the decadence of nineteenth-century China.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 23, 2009
ISBN9780231519830
Courtesans and Opium: Romantic Illusions of the Fool of Yangzhou

Related to Courtesans and Opium

Related ebooks

Social Science For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Courtesans and Opium

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Courtesans and Opium - Columbia University Press

     lNabook_preview_excerpt.html}˶Fvݯ9κ\*]WUA$"MGOm˶Of"_o^7~:~_cv)tT=՜:-0Tg[?tM& MuI]3U4Η* ՘0m]]Lm&~?~xGn T}2`cM.hlʇLh3sJPXNvɮ U1z]&Z?O$]3D1OĎH!/)uq c{_LA!ؙ:Gl;u{ 086Ԏvv.HUVo=cU=R;Ce{|c$^ ?vɌ,d>I#ʔDkjԲ3-ljMMsm "@_ Fv?c18*86ߛ`:M5[:ƆrU)!8fgj -L3>;nh دd:|[@=E1ǩp5豃y~JuwD6uю&?W(8yu>sC/$a Gc7pmو_i66}J٭I|55.H)(j0$|aB; 3}>JI1y p`ٻD ];|o 'c .U[k[zW_p_3񫕮hߡduz j/g02a*x0ɖMYME'T\FyR|i3w?!oŅI2vszn[D&$⋬jirݫUص3<7nU١lW}Ybk͗EnfYvHs&fF[ vu0bCt +,j,d -uh,A?xЛˌ#u5,CvZqUPSJƌ}3 YTm7|@YW淝s $2gV"G6{,B)VkG!*6!;B6okL[),?B;Jy Bx|P+b7M64TtH ?-qrDobx7Bж' bV%zy'RmEsXyzO7S1fs!yj$w"NkbvflueىyDĈ)t%VKhp1>샯 ϰ0^L4O6E.(tS+ٸU3R$%blaeY?|i0WR r FDC)/w\oo"ӴPFF ĴO^3>c0 j!6YF p1M8A'pB'lz8O.*j'+⮣Ͽrá=w&aTu9a0DG2H=pc;iSd'[Bჳg $J֢&xIEeD|'\q&XuW-d|2wrlTQWKͣ7**g]6PV"ԔX=m=PZ@e,n}YTd)z<lJp#;+W-.3xeaypNojS*c'*},s-"q+GN2Jq/v n-m`\?1 qLjp(JžZ:x(;^@xiC>J Gu&4@L: x9^Y35#H[$ yRlNt>{)I\?3(/4 p v# x`\S^?7HDcHG960irj;@׻1J]X_Rv S&ʑ7HMug 2[c΃{hz.7eEY1WzHHb;| ?zADlEl,-irsPv _}M5/9k'q!2DH8/%usR$-SgcPd'C=J8A=xɒ^ Xe`(*Yub ]uvxټ} 1 ӜPԢd4eLzGF$xAY:FpѩP4dG<5 $8DZazڡl&4Qivqpd{f9PQx\Bw^ڷeB?v*16O@byaU ~_}Y(\ڴJPe 0;Ean5%*b|Y*䷙ ͈OO/_A!='\rB#>09݋9[ƺD9 >3˜#`"u0q o_!)[NJ^vZsIv9GזPsbk^mT|YT94~yF,U~.JJ9a65I~#a$k-C{FOCXC(kz= ɌE"wUv.D6De sj`[ Hvl8`  ֌da*h GbC8\iӛ<@g*TEU/0dHV5۾>օw6TGڬ!GWPģ!,8 vET}J[ 'f˨n^jVR)#-z`ޘs,Iާv;ޟ!*P5B'?lk&xjWfi3hiJ/t g[Kr`,?Wf B`Fk=afGIIɱ/(`5UrJ\,PbQ..]ۥ@anoC&$3X *krȾ>fVnX 6K O:/}Q&pa GZMnzV 5=XTb)]7*K8.c'#d4G`(exN2|~ -cn:Ɇ`\|֣oz.)_TegXM@VȂ}iX=,!u_sP)˭.p<!H>~pV9Ky~ ڐ{b(feD|uo$]w$ h㷾I+&Zs|EKAŜN{>kY>D4{>p9\ Iճ?{"QMX'20g?ϗ2a*C(s5(tM0%XcYZQ0\Pjɣ޼OmGa0qyUɆz8⛧˪ ˆxE9>g`-<Sw1_plNet Bw_2z*T>!H [uԣ&Qk.IX gS]y f%|2"dAh q{Q &0ZemU){^&hT\lH V) pIw {e{lL67N7-]2:^q[%S;-eKŽ2Y鏰ݪNPDA8lʣcS,)ٽrṡf* -zU-B땙#ܘP~7ʝYMS`4&2׉Z4&10e$0f4~Cu;]v: W ~(Gtf%%& Bu`}a'S4f;'=F4tc|%7(':xA4T)$tBJc jk=sUjD:ˋkv}-̗p\ =]wrРTCRO8q< % )ԅP|{'ᜊ;^5ĶzX0YX]T9Aa)6ذ(Liaǖs3g| :6澊@Ճ־%?RY F7Ã`faT OV5G}KT{s2S2@0[JxNpKQ% J} nA:lsN 6S?;"+afZa.UݴK<|o}|c%fʦ)6C1J WHFšmf6iCXFb# ??^O3]?l30( ܈/JXKFYj΋Fe2۹NӞnhP}kV U6^dT9 t]"L=pT(aV&}N##jXY >Q"( H5 XC5ˇy͞/zSt}d;4\/&<$O;o 8eVjS_MLԪzB  ,>4HDG:.zcȂCf'u;rXA{%(q`):lw'wSoNT愭r'P"f*}ޑv ]5LI\Z`;:580?ڴǡz+j P'vie͓x.ax(,Hm -2\l4]QI@λ"B3U,sK;)Yª1%nUxD0}f5"ujF$ be9i`}~vk9%cf :WtQT!oUg-([^+s}56nĹ$di޻j/Q?DqKg00MѼS{ՄM4mN~zLk&W;YI597T 97KOvX۞\_Sʼg/Ց 6:ȎzkN<#v ]?eDѓ F ϫXc0JXs{igaD%Aͬߚ74:>dL${5qCVex0jF+(R]_lKJ5I1R+0}>F*2xKo2OT]kNn58S ()E]#NK첁C^`_SfT.UJrfG>gIDğ5Qf"hڵ0x1uQg)ON|8}&Ksрɓ9>w}@8̠FQ1|BT Qf6-'D%B9esK]aE^QUaQ4QH۴Ÿ/dD (k&լ5L$ (|Vy8ڄ^QS"beD\/CB!@nSwTpaZIx5'9k.9rE X>pZj)Zzռwpcf؉E,G;I^m& z N&,ucY[հ[b3i1`>5U%^qfL>n(1 a$ 2 ؂p'se.wV:܂n`Pb_+4i/HY4:e|Ҥν;8#B| 9n OCv=`[Щe̛&6L46¹ሒ;pv!,n<?f6z}#7Q+;.V爤aG\N],lgaj2 9C 0#Q`J!0('N+srP:HMPganNڑ޸>pS= Z.`llJB[eV},B6N#M =r@X>Gs+Ê~O!,/D_}<2˨<.ǣ7~.?˜ tbi;ǩUT,/oI zI'/{bE/-Zg RFЩ$ z*CB%./-.ލQ~/(crQ s6 ^NQq{tx So%]mwqtdn7Mvy<24 \yRA] R8ݐ0VVG̟B&vzL~jޖh3(qeSPW8nĢ=] mol&WoK]PY7Ab)SJKXkG>>TTB{{b%J؊a֬n7VM5xBgy+z׋PXQ$[O-1c4exчv,[ ƮWPp^D{TD دF4ƙ2  X;Ai5U-Iő4 ͚ܛɕn..s9wY4yGPq(pᰳ<* Xo#@5m4nQ;-W%7b%>%"DNۈ6$*hT>+D#!%lլSy”Dv-q䑘 lL!Y5uO\!oo9. ]]'s~F޻k|Y#D%(N@G9pGs-o,}Ay^P_B 3[u7KApWk;M!W #B?n (nȃy-< (êr]=*cm,߳y 5S8WwGyBY]IbW͇=7/)p7!PFbLr$,P~=|_ ÄgL_' *"yb4)SJJ!ސPKicvxU΢RMUARq}rM&;/ŅW L7<"T\w7v &;vNx="oU@}E:\CLP9f\''sCකvn#{DaW~NjYcAų+7"qodW6u@3{bv9\BN<. ؝[n"E79x`WSR;&!pe6Ca,®B"h.M#NCWLvyliDԇ@\mSt݇lqeb)P9թ.iFaۄYӬs(姎Qm@h I+*Bd¯ @\ݘx=^r^ް]5K,(Z?/jU]cIN27#;:|ؙų׃ 05IjYtzc@)\Pxw>{"P!!4f&͂ؗ՘#q%cχzC51 GO%P<1Ǡ9 %ZJ2C!A֯>ٖ8);A": kNJ-`^vh?ᲄ;*I2hl` Tɞ-EPv7M WKÚoA!=FbHP16< )_Y$(30 ϘiG=8AC-e<{Y01dӿ" S  C0(“ōrݏP/ Dr CUoBX1zH-g9rXpS0 |#g5u:h5`mHL7}޿ Ipf %ü Y>vMLqUDDo[NĨIg@DDԻ.iɤJ䀎 #8cږ0s$R MϺՓd:GذRRM·xۡ ^`v#<{8]{QHxȓѕ[K#9ư7Pܸ l{9[Ussr %X^1nb m#^Yw@Iz<'՛%A5҂zUb!r:8ΐf^9>x ".N=K믒'77i ۆ.Gtb-mZieQJɅȺ6 ,._նd }h~N1|e|ɦ9/'tĿjd! %g0g ;2% T'PH 7b};Ttxi пôr_%w=|,D';0ЉjҪߡӏO *TJ]?D+ OC0<]-mZyJa<=gdH<aTݕ2RyG(*7]@M5mͽg5tN{)x+P|3[,>pX,B>@b3@,iD|WݸTfk@$k4IPwYa7syłL>=w*7`~\*{h/PmVU`~9P& 6cW䏱j.IMxx\>[Pw QEώXRE)KYr?_VGķax1േ,smU mfuLһs}Ĝ[m~-3b$*uOT6f䋔sHyu]"4YwhS'ĸmMs.wk5Eu.\rOt$7F`Ah"Mr?n,Z~JD}74`ًD_b=:u?G|Ef B122;WWt8団8R` i'Ԑ@9-fvgzjNG87bPwT~} SOa{~~m5^DC2ٙs:Hƭ`4f5w3BmtP'M$c{uo5Px!ߗqDڱd -W5,I-X|\[v(耝+Wol1O]OQxj;$'HL2k;`~eQ uێxEN,@::v 3\5opgLuO;!vS2[*oCH z/)%@L\ù\ePz} 7',UvS.~2338MDɃݤKpǍO*qtnD"3PJpy|8b`S.Qp$Lr(K2Q)ɺR3x ),pTvċ5N{eugrǶծao] ڮ\AŲkl킧ZnkVPK:U݋ 5&4b$1[0)73/C͎
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1