Love Amid the Ruins

1、Love Amid the RuinsJEREMIAHJENNEPoetryandpleasureinalonglostMingdynastyworld?板橋札记?和?影梅庵忆语?：明末清初，秦淮河名妓的爱情和人生Itwastheendoftheirworld.Bythemiddleofthe17thcentury，theMingdynasty，whichhadruledChinaforover275years，wasdisintegrating.Rivalwarlordsmarchedtheirarmiesacrosspeacefulvillagesandsweptthroughonceel

2、egantcities.ForeigninvadersfromthenorthchargedpasttheGreatWallandinstalledtheirownemperorinBeijing.Thesecircumstancesforcedscholarstoabandontheirgenteellivesofpoetrycontests，courtesanappreciation，andpaintingtobecomerefugees.InJiangnan，theareasouthoftheYangtzeRiverwhichhadlongbeentheculturalandintell

3、ectualheartoftheMingdynasty，elitemalewriterslikeMaoXiang冒襄andYuHuai余怀respondedtothecataclysmwithnostalgiaforaworldtheybelievedwaslostforever：thepleasurequartersofNanjing，Suzhou，andotherJiangnancities.InPlumShadowsandPlankBridge：TwoMemoirsaboutCourtesans，Wai-yeeLihastranslatedandannotatedthepoignantr

4、eminiscesofMaoandYuinabookthatisanessentialadditiontoagrowingbodyofscholarshiponthelivesofwomeninlateimperialChina.Inhouses，boats，palaces，andpavilions，themenofJiangnanenjoyedthecompanyoftalentedwomenwhopushedand，insomecases，transcendedtheestablishednorms.Whilemostofthesewomenwerepartofademimondethat

5、commercializedsex，courtesansalsocametoembody，atleastintheeyesoftheirelitemalepatrons，asymbolofcultureandrefinement，asmuchperformanceartistaspaidsexworker.“Thecourtesanescapedthewell-definedrolesandrelationshipsoftraditionalChinesesociety，writesLi.“Classifiedasdebasedjian，sheyetconsortedwithelitemen，

6、sometimesasintellectualequals，andcouldclaimrespectabilitythroughmarriage.Shecouldbefriendelitewomen.Startingfromthesixteenthcentury，wefindpoeticexchangesbetweenelitewomenandcourtesans;someofthemareevenvaguelyhomoeroticintone，unavoidableperhapsbecausepoeticconventionforpraisingfemalebeautyandtalentar

7、eoftenrootedinmaledesire.Famousliaisonsbetweenliteratiandcourtesanswereapopularthemeofsong，poetry，andproseeventhoughorperhapsbecausesuchrelationshipsbetweenelitemenandthewomenofthedemimondewerefraughtwithlegalandmoralcomplications.ManyelitemeninimperialChinalivedtheirlivessurroundedbyothermen，formin

8、gtheirclosestemotionalattachmentswiththeirfellowliterati.Sociallyapprovedrelationswithwomenwerebasedonmarriagesarrangedforthebenefitofthefamily.Elitemenenjoyedthebenefitsofpolygamy，buttherewerelegalandsocialbarriersagainsttakingcourtesansaswivesandconcubines.Themenlivedinaworldofhighlyprescribedrela

9、tionshipsinwhichadoration，devotion，andintimacyplayedasubservientroletoduty，filialpiety，andfidelity.AsLiargues，“Thepleasurequartersmightwellhavebeentheonlyplacewheragency，tension，yearning，anduncertaintytheingredientsofromancecouldcomeintoplay.MaoXiangsportionofthebook，translatedfromhismemoirReminisce

10、softhePlumShadowConventisasketchoftheauthorsexperienceswithseveralcourtesansduringhistimeasanaspiringexamcandidate.MaowasfromanelitefamilythatclaimeddescentfromMongoliannobilityinthedaysoftheYuandynasty12061368.Whileheneverachievedtheexamsuccessexpectedofhim，hewasaprolificwriter，afrequenterofallther

11、ightintellectualcircles，andamemberofthelate-MingpoliticalcliqueknownastheRevivalSociety.InPlumShadows，MaorecallshisrelationshipwiththecourtesanDongBai董白，alsoknownasDongXiaowan董小宛.Likemostwomeninthisbook，Dongisawell-knownhistoricalfigureonherown.Knownasonethe“EightBeautiesofQinhuai，shewasatalentedpoe

12、t，andherstoryhasbeenretoldinseveraloperasandfilms.WhenwefirstmeetherinMaosmemoir，however，sheis16andhungover.Nevertheless，thisbriefencounterbecomesthefoundationfora12-yearloveaffairsetagainstthebackdroofthefalloftheMingandtheQingconquestofChinain1644.InlovebutontherunfromtheQingarmies，thecouplestillf

13、indstimeamidthechaostosharepoems，enjoyworksofart，andcomparenotesontheirappreciationoffinerthingsliketeaandincense.Inthis，MaocelebratesthecultureofconnoisseurshipinthelateMing.Andyet，byportrayingDongashisequalinmattersoftaste，Maoisalsoappraisinghisloverasanobject.Dongsexcellentappreciationofpoetryand

14、teavalidatesMaosconnoisseurshipofherasacourtesan.Theartofappraisingcourtesans，rankingthem，anddemonstratinggoodtasteanddiscernmentwasapopularpastimeforelitemen.Linotesthatthetermfor“appraisingconcubines，orpinji品妓，wassimilartoappreciatingothercommoditiesliketea，orpincha品茶.InMiscellaneousRecordsfromthe

15、PlankBridge，thewriterYuHuaioffersanecdotesandreviewsof27concubines.DongalsoappearsinYusmemoir，butasoneofaswirlingcastofcharactersthatrecallatimeandplaceforwhichYumournsdeeply.ItsadifferentkindofnostalgiafromthatofMao，whofocusesmainlyonhisrelationshipwithonewoman.AsthetranslatorLinotes，MaoswritingonD

16、ongalsoemphasizescontinuityamidtragedy，astheloverscanstillenjoysomeoflifespleasuresdespitethecalamityaroundthem.Yu，ontheotherhand，cannotoverlookallthathasbeenlost.HestrollsthroughaneighborhoodinNanjingwherhehadoncespentyouthfuldaysenjoyingthecompanyofelegantcourtesansandlaments，“Towersandbuildingsha

17、vetumbledinkalpicashesandbeautieshaveturnedintodust.Howcananythingexceedthiswhenitcomestomelancholyreflectionsoverriseanddecline？Beforefrustratedambitioncouldfindfulfillment，Iencounteredchaosanddestruction.PlumShadowsandPlankBridgealsoincludescollectionsofpoemsandproseessaysabouttwoofthemostfamousco

18、urtesansfromthisera：LiuRushi柳如是andChenYuanyuan陈圆圆，whobothfiguretangentiallyinthepiecesbyMaoXiangandYuHuai.LiuandespeciallyChenfigureprominentlyinaccountsfromthisperiodbecauseoftheirassociationswithkeyfiguresintheMing-Qingtransition.TwoofLiuRushislovers，ChenZilong陈子龍andQianQianyi钱谦益，wereaccusedofbein

19、ginvolvedinanti-Qingactivities.ChenYuanyuanismostfamousforherrelationshipwithWuSangui吴三桂，theMingmilitaryofficerwhosealliancewiththeQingleadershipopenedChinasgatestotheManchus.ItisparticularlyinterestingtohavethedifferentversionsofChenYuanyuansstoryjuxtaposedinthesamebook.Thisallowsthereadertofollowh

20、owthenarrativesaroundthecourtesanevolvedovertime.InthefamouspoembyWuWeiye吴伟业，ChenisthefemmefatalepartiallyresponsiblefortheendoftheMingdynasty.SubsequentversionsinthebookfromtheQingeraandafterportrayherwithmoreagency，insomecasesasaconspirator，orapolitical，moral，orevennationalconscience.Lateimperiall

21、iteraticouldbebeautifulwriters，buttheywerealsofondofobscurereferences，insidejokes，andliteraryallusions.PlumShadowsandPlankBridgeisatour-de-forceoftranslationwithcopiousnotesandannotationsbyLiassistingthelessliterateinappreciatingtheaestheticandintellectualworldoftheseremarkablemenandwomen.AsYuwrites

22、，“AsIthinkquietlybackoneventspast，thereisnowherwithaltoreclaimthem.AllIcandoisrecordwhatIsawandcompiletheseaccounts.THEFOXSPIRITOFBLUESTONEMOUNTAINInChineselegends，thefoxspiritisasupernaturalbeingwhooftenappearsasabeautiful，seductivewoman.Inthislate19thcenturynovel，anine-tailedfoxspiritstartsaloveaf

23、fairwithYoungMasterZhou，thehandsomeandtalentedsonofaretiredmandarin，inordertostealhislifeforceandbecomeagod.ZhousservantasksaDaoistpriesttoexpelthespirit，butsheprovestobemorethanamatchforhim.TranslatedintoEnglishforthefirsttimebyTimothyGouldthorp，thebookfeaturesaplotandcharactersdeeplyinfluencedbyclassicChinesefolklore.TALESOFMINGCOURTESANSThishistoricalfictionbyAlicePoondrawsfromthreereal-lifecourtesanswholivedinNanjinginthe17thcentury：LiuRushi，anaccomplishedpoet;ChenYuanyuan，whoseunmatchedbeautywasbla