Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period : : Volume One.

• Superior document: Sinica Leidensia
• VerfasserIn: van Gulik, R. H.,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : BRILL,, 2003.; ©2004.
• Year of Publication: 2003
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Sinica Leidensia
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (355 pages)

In 1949 the sinologist Robert van Gulik (also known now for his Judge Dee mysteries) purchased in a Tokyo curio-shop a set of printing blocks of a Ming Erotic Album. Two years later the album, with an extensive treatise, was published by Van Gulik himself in a 50 copies print run, sent to a small group of Sinological libraries, as "the erotic prints and other data ought not to fall into the hands of unqualified readers". It was to be the author's first work on the subject, preceding his 'groundbreaking' Sexual Life in Ancient China (new edition, Brill, 2002). Unqualified readers have now at last become qualified with this official edition. James Cahill, Wilt Idema and Soeren Edgren provide readers with indispensable introductions to its art historical, literary, biographical, and book technical context.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- VOLUME I -- Introduction to R. H. van Gulik, Erotic Colour Prints of the Late Ming Period -- A Bibliographical Note on van Gulik's Albums of Erotic Colour Prints -- "Blasé Literati": Lü T'ien-Ch'eng and the Lifestyle of the Chiang-nan Elite in the Final Decades of the Wan-li Period -- Introduction by R. H. van Gulik -- Chinese Preface -- Original Table of Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Abbreviations -- PART 1: Historical Survey of Erotic Literature -- 1. The Han Period B.C. 206-A.D. 220 Fundamental Chinese Concepts of Sexual Intercourse -- 2. The Liu-ch'ao and Sui Periods 220-618 The Contents of the Handbooks of Sex -- Notes -- 3. The T'ang, Sung and Yüan Periods 618-1368 Medical Books on Sex Relations, and the beginnings of Pornography -- A. Medical Literature -- B. Pornographie Literature -- Notes -- 4. The Ming Period, 1368-1644 Flourishing of the Handbooks of Sex and Pornographic Literature -- A. Serious Literature -- 1. The "Family Instructions -- 2. Handbooks of Sex -- B. Fiction -- PART II: Historical Survey of Erotic Pictures -- 1. Early beginnings and Development up to the Ming Period -- 2. Erotic Art of the Ming Dynasty -- A. Erotic Paintings -- B. Erotic Book Illustrations -- C. Erotic Colour Prints -- PART III. Hua-ying-chin-chen -- Annotated Translation -- Appendix: Chinese Terminology of Sex -- Index -- Plates.