A ''yiji'' () was a high-class

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

ancient China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

.Precious Records: Women in China's Long Eighteenth Century
/ref> Yiji were initially not involved in the direct

sex trade The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...

, but rather were entertainers who performed music and arts, such as

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, music and singing, to please dignitaries and

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

s. They were respected and renowned for their art and education in the classics, and were hired to perform to both male and female clients, as well as employed by the state. Though yiji could in individual cases choose to sell sexual favors to a client, this was not a part of her profession as a yiji, but a parallel favor outside of their profession as a yiji and regarded as separated from it. After the establishment of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

in 1644, however, the Yiji were banned from being employed by the state. This made them dependent of the patronage of private clients, which resulted in the development of the profession to prostitution, as male clients started to demand sexual favors in exchange for patronage. A yiji could come from various backgrounds, but a common background was that of a slave girl in a brothel: the girl was then taken from the brothel and educated in the arts of being a courtesan. The yiji could earn substantial fortunes, however, they were often caught in debt to former associates and, as they lacked families, were often exposed to ruinous lawsuits. When the yiji retired, she often educated her own daughter to be her successor, or selected a student to be so.

References

Yiji Courtesans of antiquity Obsolete occupations Courtesans by type {{China-hist-stub zh:藝妓 (泛稱)

See also

References