Zhulin Yeshi

''Zhulin yeshi'' () is a Chinese erotic novel by an anonymous writer, published between 1610 and 1620. Set in the 7th century BC, it follows a young woman and her sexual escapades.

Plot

Set in around 600 BC during the Spring and Autumn period, a young and unmarried lady named Su'e () dreams of being taught the art of love-making by Taoist master Hua Yue (). First using her newfound sexual prowess to attain eternal youth, she then seduces multiple men until she is stopped by a rival Taoist master who becomes her lover and joins her in her quest for immortality.

Publication history

Comprising sixteen chapters and twenty-one poems, ''Zhulin yeshi'' was written in the late Ming dynasty by an anonymous writer using the pseudonym Chi Daoren (), translated into English as "Infatuated Moralist" or "Man of the Crazy Way". The novel was published in Suzhou and likely had its first printing sometime between 1610 and 1620, although it was subsequently banned by the Qing government.

Inspiration

The title of the novel is derived from the song "Zhulin" (, "tree forest") collected in the '' Book of Songs''; according to the critic Kong Yingda () in ''Mao Shi zhengyi'' (), the song was written to rebuke Lord Ling of Chen () for his illicit sexual relationship with the ''femme fatale'' and noblewoman Xia Ji (), whose "destructive beauty ... nearly caused the collapse of the state of Chen" and "who was traditionally numbered among the most wicked women of Chinese antiquity." In ''Zhulin yeshi'', the main protagonist is based on Xia Ji, although she is referred to as Su'e, which is in turn an apparent reference to the "extremely rare" illustrated erotic novel titled ''Su'e pian'' (; published 1610).

Numerous stories concerning "a woman achieving first eternal youth and then transcendency through esoteric sexual practices with multiple partners" predate ''Zhulin yeshi''. For instance, in the ''Liexian Zhuan'' (), a female protagonist named Nü Wan () is guided by a mystery sex master. Likewise, in the Han dynasty text '' Yufang mijue'' () or ''Secret Instructions from the Jade Chamber'', the Taoist mistress Xiwangmu () is described as engaging in "sexual vampirism".

Across the novel, the author adapts sexually explicit scenes from several other sources. For example, a scene in which the protagonist is in Chu, left in a pitiful state with her step-son, is "a cut-and-paste piece taken straight" from '' Wushan yanshi'' () or ''Romantic History of Mt. Wu''. ''Zhulin yeshi'' also presents an "extremely confused" discussion of sex toys; a dildo, for instance, morphs into a Burmese bell without any explanation, which Olivia Milburn suggests may be due to a "garbled interpolation from some unknown source."

Literary significance and reception

''Zhulin yeshi'' is noted for its "rich descriptions of sexual life", both heterosexual and homosexual. Olivia Milburn writes that the female protagonists of the novel "are in striking contrast to those described in other contemporary Ming-dynasty erotic novels". She also praises the author of ''Zhulin yeshi'' for their "careful erudition" and meticulous "historical background and characterizations".

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17th-century Chinese novels
1610s novels
Ming dynasty novels
Chinese erotic novels
Works published under a pseudonym
Novels set in the 7th century BC
Novels set in the Zhou dynasty