Ancient Chinese erotic novels include: *New Tales of the Cutting Lantern*, *Vinegar Gourd*, *Mirror of Flower Appreciation*, *Flowers Seen through the Curtain*, *National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance*, *Flight of Flower and Amorous Thoughts*, *Empty Illusion*, *Spring in the Jade Pavilion*, and so on. These ten novels, most shrouded in mystery, have been repeatedly banned and destroyed. They are well-known yet deeply taboo, ranging in quality from splendid to uneven, filling the gaps left by traditional classic literary works, belonging to the category of “folk treasures.”
1. *New Tales of the Cutting Lantern* (novel)
*New Tales of the Cutting Lantern* is a short story collection written by Qu You during the Ming Dynasty, one of the Ten Forbidden Books of China. It was first compiled in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign and circulated in manuscript copies. During the social upheaval at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the desires of men and women in the lower classes were devastated and distorted. This book was the first banned and destroyed novel in Chinese history. Apart from depicting the distorted and bizarre secrets of men and women, the love affair between humans and ghosts, “as in the world,” was also a major reason for the ban. The author himself admitted that this book was “close to seduction,” so he kept it hidden and did not want it to be widely circulated.
2. *Vinegar Gourd* (novel)
*Vinegar Gourd* is a novel from the Ming Dynasty, authored by Master Heart Moon, one of the Ten Forbidden Books of Ancient China, consisting of four volumes and twenty chapters. The preface bears the inscription “Penned by Master Heart Moon at the Drunken Heart West Lake.” *Vinegar Gourd* was banned because it extensively depicts sexual affairs, especially the depiction of extramarital relationships, which is scandalous. The moral concepts of men and women in the book are weak, ignoring propriety and law, indulging in adultery without shame, reflecting the changes in social customs at that time, where instinctual desires were emphasized, and the pursuit of individual life and sensory pleasure was emphasized, making it an early example of “extramarital affairs…
3. *Mirror of Flower Appreciation* (novel)
*Mirror of Flower Appreciation*, also known as *Delightful History*, alternatively titled *Mirror of Flowers*, consists of 60 chapters. It is one of the Ten Forbidden Books of Ancient China and the most famous “homosexual” work in ancient Chinese novels. The novel centers on the intimate friendship and love between the protagonist, young gentleman Mei Ziyu, and the male actor Du Qinyin, portraying both morally upright characters like Mei and Du, and those indulging in debauchery like the merchants, idle rich, and sons of…
4. *Flowers Seen through the Curtain* (novel)
*Flowers Seen through the Curtain* is a sequel to *Jin Ping Mei*, one of the Ten Forbidden Books of Ancient China. It is another sequel to Ding Yao Kang’s *Continuation of Jin Ping Mei*, which was banned for being obscene and seductive. It was published around the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In order to avoid the fate of Ding’s *Continuation of Jin Ping Mei*, the novel made changes to the characters and plots of the original book, especially the significant political events mentioned in *Continuation of Jin Ping Mei*, to portray the vicissitudes of life through cause and effect. The book’s explicit sexual descriptions still follow the tradition of *Jin Ping Mei*, continuing the lascivious stories of Ximen Qing…
5. *National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance* (novel)
*National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance* is one of the Ten Forbidden Books of Ancient China, written by Wu Jingsu during the Ming Dynasty. It was banned during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. The reason for the ban was its portrayal of various means of seduction and theft, which contradicted the laws and regulations at the time. The book focuses on the affairs of ordinary men and women in the market, making it a highly entertaining and sensual erotic novel. The female protagonists, whether they are young women yearning for love or servants of the elite, are all charming and desirable, either admiring men’s appearance or loving their talent, portrayed in vivid detail, making it highly readable.
6. *Flight of Flower and Amorous Thoughts* (novel)
*Flight of Flower and Amorous Thoughts* is a book published by People’s Literature Publishing House, authored by Qiaoyunshanren (Qing Dynasty). There are two early editions of *Flight of Flower and Amorous Thoughts* in existence, both without the name of the printing house. One is disordered, kept in the Shanghai Library, and the other has a preface that reads, “Written by Qiaoyunshanren at the Peony Creek in the month of Jiyou,” kept in the Dalian Library. There are also old editions of the book titled *Dream of Flowers*; during the Daoguang reign, it was retitled *Shadow of Mandarin Ducks*. The book mostly involves sensual content and belongs to the “side-stream” type of literati-beauty novels, besides talking about sexual experiences and sensations…
7. *Empty Illusion* (novel)
*Empty Illusion*, also known as *Parrot’s Call*, consists of sixteen chapters. It is a famous love novel from the Qing Dynasty, mainly depicting the “restless” sexual fantasies generated by an ugly man’s admiration for beauty. *Empty Illusion* ridicules the values of worldly love, depicting a flower-loving man who constantly changes lovers like a revolving lantern, not only having sex with ten women but also marrying several women as wives and concubines, engaging in daily battles in bed. Women also indulge in pleasure, maids bring their young mistresses into the water, and mistresses hunt for lovers, ultimately subverting the traditional morals of sisters, masters and servants, mother and daughter, and girlfriends…
8. *Spring in the Jade Pavilion* (Qing Dynasty novel)
*Spring in the Jade Pavilion*, full name *Spring Romance of the Perception of the World and Jade Pavilion*, is a vernacular long story edited by Longqiuba…