Pan Jinlian () is a fictional character in the 17th-century Chinese novel '' Jin Ping Mei'' (''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 t ...

of Chinese literature. She is an archetypal

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype o ...

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, an imperial consort of the

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succe ...

. Her husband, Xiao Baojuan, 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, 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, the elder brother of Wu Song. 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, 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 '' Jin Ping Mei'', 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 version of the story was one of the roles played by Bai Yushuang in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

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'' 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