Pan Jinlian () is a fictional character in the 17th-century Chinese novel ''

Jin Ping Mei ''Jin Ping Mei'' () — translated into English as ''The Plum in the Golden Vase'' or ''The Golden Lotus'' — is a Chinese novel of manners composed in vernacular Chinese during the latter half of the 16th century during the late Ming dynasty ...

'' (''The Plum in the Golden Vase)'', and a minor character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish ...

of Chinese literature. She is an archetypal femme fatale and one of the most notorious villainesses of classical Chinese culture. She has also become the patron goddess of brothels and prostitutes.

Name

Pan Jinlian's name appears to be inspired by

Pan Yunu Pan Yunu (; died 501) ， Pan Yu'er (), or Yu Nizi（俞妮子），was an imperial consort during the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi. She was a concubine of Xiao Baojuan. During his reign, she carried the title ''Guifei'' (貴妃) -- a rank that ...

, an imperial consort of the Southern Qi. Her husband,

Xiao Baojuan Xiao Baojuan (蕭寶卷) (483–501), né Xiao Mingxian (蕭明賢), commonly known by his posthumously demoted title of Marquess of DonghunThe term "Donghun" (東昏) does not denote a place, but a derogatory description of Xiao Baojuan. Historica ...

, was obsessed with her small feet and made her dance on golden (金, ''jin'') lotuses (蓮, ''lian'') . Pan Jinlian also appeared to be based on the false rumors a real namesake lady who had a sharply different personality. The reputation of real-life Pan Jinlian was badly affected by the fictional Pan Jinlian and this incident also caused a rift between Pan family and Shi family (the family of

Shi Nai'an Shi Nai'an (, ca. 1296–1372) was a Chinese writer from the Yuan and early Ming periods. ''Shuihu zhuan'' (''Water Margin''), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, is traditionally attributed to him. There are few re ...

, author of ''Water Margin'') for a long time until descendants of Shi family made an official apology in 2009.Thủy Hử truyện và nỗi hàm oan của Phan Kim Liên – Võ Đại Lang
An Ninh Thế Giới, 21 August 2016
Người Lao Động, 30 November 2015

Story

Pan Jinlian is married to

Wu Dalang Wu Dalang (), also translated as Wu the Elder, is a major character in the classic Chinese novel '' The Plum in the Golden Vase'', and a minor character in the ''Water Margin'', another classic. In both novels, he is murdered by his adulterous wife ...

, the elder brother of

Wu Song Wu Song ( zh, c=武松, p=wǔ sōng), also known as Wu the Second ( zh, c=武二郎, p=wŭ èrláng, labels=no), is a legendary hero recounted since the 13th century; and one of the well-known fictional characters in the ''Water Margin'', one of ...

. Wu Dalang is short and ugly, while Pan Jinlian is renowned for her beauty; as a result, many people feel that the couple are a mismatch. Pan Jinlian, dissatisfied with her marriage, has an extramarital affair with

Ximen Qing Ximen Qing () is a fictional Chinese Song dynasty merchant, womanizer, and murderer in Yanggu County, Shandong. He is the male protagonist in the novel ''Jin Ping Mei'' and a minor character in the novel ''Water Margin''. In both novels, he i ...

, a handsome womaniser in town. Wu Dalang eventually discovers the affair, but Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing murder him by adding poison to his food. They bribe the coroner to conceal the true cause of his death. Wu Song grows suspicious of his brother's death. He carries out his own investigations and discovers the truth. In ''

'', Wu Song's slaying of the adulterous pair is described in graphic detail and is one of the most memorable scenes in the novel. In ''

'', however, Pan Jinlian marries Ximen Qing as a concubine, and Wu Song kills Pan after Ximen dies from excessive sexual activity.

Adaptations

In the post- May Fourth era, the influential playwright

Ouyang Yuqian Ouyang Yuqian (; May 12, 1889 – September 21, 1962) was a Chinese playwright, Peking opera actor and writer, film screenwriter and director, and drama educator. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken ...

wrote the early modern drama ''Pan Jinlian'' in 1928, in which Pan is depicted as a free-spirited woman victimized by a male-dominated traditional society. He played the role of Pan Jinlian himself. A

pingju Pingju or Ping opera () is a form of Chinese opera from northern China. History Pingju originated in Tangshan, Hebei, near the city of Tianjin.. Among all China's regional operas, it was the most famous in the Republican period for its passiona ...

version of the story was one of the roles played by

Bai Yushuang Li Guizhen p ''Lǐ Guìzhēn''; 1907–1942), better known by her stage name Bai Yushuang ''Yùshuāng'', Jade Frost"), was a Chinese Ping Opera singer and actress. She was one of "The Four Famous '' Dans''" ''Sì Dàmíng Dàn'') and re ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

in the 1930s. Pan Jinlian is a popular subject of Chinese and Japanese films and television series. Since the 1950s, there have been at least 20 films and television series featuring her as a main character. The Chinese name of the film ''

I Am Not Madame Bovary ''I Am Not Pan Jinlian'' (), known in English as ''I Am Not Madame Bovary'', is a 2016 Chinese comedy film directed by Feng Xiaogang and written by Liu Zhenyun, based on Liu's 2012 novel ''I Did Not Kill My Husband''. The film stars Fan Bingbing, ...

'' is literally ''I Am Not Pan Jinlian''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pan, Jinlian Water Margin characters Fictional Chinese people in literature Chinese goddesses Deified Chinese people Fictional characters from Hebei