Journey to the West/ Xijou ji;

1
Journey to the West/ Xijou ji The Jin Ping
Mei
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Outline

• I. Novels from the Last Century of the Ming
  Dynasty
• II. Journey to the West
• III. The Jin Ping Mui

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I. Novels from the Last Century of the Ming
Dynasty

• This period (1573-1620) saw a marked upsurge in
  the activities of commercial publishers.
• Old novels were repeatedly reprinted, and many
  new novels were published.
• The longer new novels often borrow their main
  plot lines from older works, but show much
  greater freedom in their treatment of the
  material as compared with the older novels, which
  had really been more in the nature of
  compilations.

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I. Novels from the Last Century of the
Ming?Dynasty

• The most important development of the traditional
  novel are Journey to the West???/ Xiyou ji and
  the Jin Ping Mei??? (an untranslatable title,
  based on the names of characters).
• The original novel of this period is
  characterized by the element of reversal.
• In the long run everything changes to its own
  opposite.
• E.g. unity is followed by division, prosperity by
  ruin, or vice versa.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• The reversal of fortunes can usually be explained
  by the process of retribution which operates in
  all that exists.
• Retribution is an old Buddhist concept every act
  performed by a human being carries a certain
  moral valence and sooner or later is rewarded or
  punished accordingly.
• Typical popular presentations emphasize the power
  of supernatural beings, such as the King of Hell,
  to dispense these rewards and punishments.
• The punishment of ones sin and the rewards for
  ones virtues are supposed to follow in the next
  incarnation.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• But during the period from 1550-1650, retribution
  is seen more as an automatic process, inherent in
  life and in the ethical quality of actions,
  requiring for its effects no intervention by gods
  or demons.
• The emphasis shifts from retribution in some
  future existence to retribution in the course of
  ones present life.
• Concretely, this means that every good deed
  involving sacrifice of ones self-interest will
  eventually be rewarded self-seeking at others
  expense will be punished.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• A person is never confronted with a choice
  between two evils or two positive values.
• The choice is always a straightforward one
  between good and evil, and the persons future
  well-being is determined by his own choice.
• The retribution process applies even to the most
  apparently trivial actions, and the Chinese
  novelist of this period pays detailed attention
  to everyday life and the multitude of petty sins
  it involves.
• Greed and lust are featured prominently.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• The ethical aspects of individuals behavior are
  described in much more detail than the actual
  physical punishment or setting.
• It is entirely clear what is done, but not
  necessary where or how.
• The author presents the events not as unique
  happenings but as noteworthy, unexpected
  variations on general patterns.
• The concrete descriptions are often followed by
  poems or couplets that give a sort of summing-up,
  often by means of a familiar proverb or saying.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• The effect is to bring the initially unexpected
  back within the context of what is familiar and
  general.
• At times, there is a certain interest in personal
  mental processes.
• The authors are sometimes concerned with why some
  people yield to temptation while others cling to
  the good in the face of all difficulties.
• But the action remain the thing, and the authors
  show nothing but contempt for those who are so
  weak, for whatever reason, as to make the wrong
  ethical choice.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• Man is regarded as personally responsible for the
  course of his life, although certainly not in any
  modern existential sense.
• The norms of good and evil are regarded as
  clearly drawn, and actions have inevitable
  consequences which emerge visibly in the course
  of the novel.
• Usually the process of retribution runs through
  to its consequences within the space of a single
  lifetime.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• Toward the end of this second period (early 17th
  century), there was a real bloom in the
  production of baihua??(of modern Chinese
  language) novellas.
• These novellas typically consist of 2 stories (a
  short opening story and a longer main story),
  both of which illustrate the workings of one and
  the same explicitly formulated moral law.
• The opening story is usually one familiar to
  readers, while the main story deals with a more
  detailed, more recent example of the same moral.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• Hardly a single novel or story from this period
  represents a product of its authors imagination.
• The authors intention is not to write fiction
  but to present the truth so that his fellow
  citizens will awake from their benighted state of
  folly and better their ways.
• The truth means the historical truth what is
  narrated must really have happened, and the
  author often explicitly names his sources,
  claiming only to have tried to make their truths
  more generally available.
• The author does not seek to add much personal
  comments of his own such commentary he gives
  must be authentic and objective.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• To achieve a successful combination of these two
  elements, the author assumes the persona of a
  professional storyteller, full of folksy
  innocence and homespun virtue, who punctuates the
  story with his commonplaces.
• In comparison to the novels of the first period,
  those of the second show a much wider range of
  characters from a broader scale of social
  background.
• They also give more attention to the problems of
  ordinary folk.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• However, the authors strong concern with moral
  issues, together with their black--white
  characterization and mechanically simplistic
  ethics, has earned them a reputation for facile
  moralism.
• Though the accusation is not just in all cases,
  it is true that the novels and novellas of this
  second period lack the concept of the tragic.
• There is no place in them for fate or for the
  dilemma.

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Novels from the Last Century of the Ming Dynasty

• Though the presence of the storyteller lends a
  certain liveliness to these texts, its effect is
  limited by the authors determination to stick to
  true, or at any rate well-known stories.
• Anything else, it seems, was rejected as being an
  insufficiently reliable basis for the didactic
  function of the written word.

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II. Journey to the West???/ The Xiyou ji

• This book is supposed to have been written by Wu
  Chengen???(ca.1500-ca.1582), probably between
  1570-1580.
• The oldest survival edition dates from 1592.
• Wu Chengen was a member of the literati who
  never passed higher-level examinations and held
  but modest office in his later years.

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Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• This novel takes its material from a very old
  popular story cycle.
• Historical Truth
• During the years 629-645 (in earlyTong Dynasty),
  the Chinese monk Xuanzang??(600-664) undertook a
  pilgrimage to India for the purpose of collecting
  sutras. Upon his return he was given the
  honorific name Sanzang??(Tripitaka), with the
  surname of Tong?.
• Tong Sanzang recorded his story in official
  records when he returned back to China.

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Overview of the Novel

• Influences of Chinese folk reglion, Chinese
  mythology, Daosim and Buddhism are present.
• Adventure story-type, spiritual insight, allegory
  about religious journey to find
  self/enlightenment.

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Overview of the Novel

• 100 chapters
• Part I ch.1-7 prelude
• Part II ch.8-12biography and background
• Part III ch.13-99adventures stories
• Part IV ch.100 return journey

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Overview of the Novel

• Monk Xuanzangs journey made a tremendous
  impression on his contemporaries and soon became
  a fertile source of legends, in which Xuanzangs
  journey was as a peril-fraught pilgrimage to the
  Western Paradise.
• To aid him in overcoming the attendant dangers,
  such as repeated attacks by supernatural
  monsters, he was provided with supernatural
  helpers (his disciples) in the form of a horse, a
  monk, a pig, and a monkey.
• Various early written versions of this story
  cycle have survived.

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Overview of the Novel

• Whereas earlier versions of the legend featured
  the wise monk Xuanzang as their hero and started
  their narrative with his departure from China for
  faraway lands, Wu Chengans 100 chapter novel
  has its main character the monkey, Sun Wukong???.
• The novel starts out with the birth of Sun
  Wukong.
• Chapter 1-7 describe his quest for eternity and
  magic powers and his rebellion against the
  reigning authorities in heaven, for which he is
  eventually imprisoned under a mountain.
• Chapter 9-100 deal with Xuanzangs birth and his
  pilgrimage.

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The Story of Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• Soon after Xuanzangs departure from China, he
  loses his original retinue (human followers),
  instead he is accompanied by the best fighter,
  Sun Wukong,???who is allowed to undertake this
  task as penance for his rebellion.
• Other traveling companions are the pig Zhu
  Bajie???and the Sha monk??.
• Xuanzang also gets a new white horse.
• The monkey, the pig, the Sha monk and the horse
  are all gods in Heaven in the past but they
  commit certain mistakes. After the journey to the
  West and successfully get the sutras, they can
  return back to Heaven and become gods again.

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The Story of Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• Together, the new company goes through 81 perils
  of all sorts, most of them involving encounters
  with monsters seeking to eat Xuanzang.
• 80 of the perils are met on the journey to The
  Western Paradise and one on the way home.

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Story of Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• Why do the monsters want to eat Xuanzang? For
  they would attain immortality if they could have
  the flesh of Xuanzang.
• An extremely interesting book for those who
  retain a kids mind.
• Monsters adventure devil tiger general, the
  cunning bony-woman, the seductive spider-girl,
  the angry cow-king, the troublesome
  woman-kingdom, the strong big-bird

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Character AnalysisI. Tang Sanzang???

• Other names
• Tripitaka, Tang Monk, Master, Jin Chan Zi (name
  of his previous life, was a Buddhas disciple
  banished to reincarnation for disobedience to
  Buddhas teaching)
• Personality
• A kind and passionate monk
• Very obedient to the rules of Buddhism
• Strongly opposed to violence and killing
• Never tempted by worldly desires
• Gullible, very religious
• Shows stupidity and human flaws throughout the
  journey

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Character AnalysisI. Tang Sanzang???

• Abilities
• Can memorize scriptures after one reading
• Can mediate for long periods of time
• Can recite Tight-Fillet Spell (Band-Tightening
  Curse) in order to control Monkey King
• Flesh is said to hold immortality, thus all
  demons wish to eat him

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Character AnalysisI. Tang Sanzang???

• He is tricked by various demons during the
  journey.
• He mistakes Monkey Kings good intentions as
  savage killing (include driving the Monkey away 2
  times) and listens to the Pig, Pa-chiehs words.
• Requires saving by Monkey King time after time.
• At the journeys end, he attains Buddha status
  and is named Golden Lohan (Zheng Guo).

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Character AnalysisII. Monkey King, Sun Wukong???

• Other names
• Mei Houwang(Beautiful Monkey), Stone Monkey,
  Qitian Dasheng (he named himself as, Saint as
  Great as Heaven)
• Abilities
• 72 transformations
• Somersault
• Fiery Golden Eyes
• Magic Golden-clasped Rod
• Various spells such as commanding wind, freezing
  humans, demons, and gods alike with one word

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Character AnalysisII. Monkey King, Sun Wukong???

• Personality
• Bravery and fearlessness
• Confident
• The main fighter throughout the journey
• Loyal to the Master and steadfast in his promise
  to bring the group to India
• Clever, witty, and always playful. Often plays
  jokes on Pa-Chieh and the devils
• Strong sense of dignity, honor, and pride
• Temperamental when these elements are threatened
• Main flaw is overconfidence and arrogant
• Selfishly wishes to be immortal and achieves his
  goal
• Does demonstrates maturity and growth during the
  journey

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Character AnalysisII. Monkey King, Sun Wukong???

• He was born from a rock on the summit of Flower
  Fruit Mountain.
• Worried about death, so determined to find
  immoral beings and learn their ways.
• After equipping with his abilities, he wants to
  get a post in Heaven. They make him to be the
  stable-keeper.

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Character AnalysisII. Monkey King, Sun Wukong???

• He later finds out that it is an unimportant post
  so he fights with a number of gods.
• Eventually, he loses the battle with the Buddha
  and is imprisoned for five centuries until he
  agrees to help Tripitaka throughout the journey.
• At the journeys end, he attains Buddha status
  and is named Fighting Buddha.

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Character AnalysisIII. The Pig, Pa-Chieh???

• Pa-chieh (means to get rid of the 8 Buddhist
  sins)
• He was the Altar Warrior God in Heaven, yet he
  flirted the Moon goddess. Thus, he is punished to
  become human again.
• Abilities
• Nine-Toothed Rake (which he used to carry in
  Heaven)
• 36 Transformations
• Cloud Riding
• Water Abilities once in charge of the Heavenly
  River. Extremely useful because some perils
  involve water activities. (The Monkey cannot
  wield much power in water. )

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Character AnalysisIII. The Pig, Pa-Chieh???

• Personality
• His characters represents human shortcomings
• His lustfulness often puts the group in danger,
  as he is always blinded by the beauty of woman.
• He is lazy. Falls asleep in crucial moments when
  other are depending on him.
• Greedy and gluttonous
• Provides comic relief for the story
• A foil to the Monkey

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Character AnalysisIV. Sha Monk??

• Other names Sha Wu Jung, Sha Seng
• Abilities
• underwater battle
• Cloud riding (flying)
• Skilled alchemist
• Carries small gourd which can enlarge, enabling
  the group to cross rivers

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Character AnalysisIV. Sha Monk??

• Personality
• Dedicated disciple
• Extremely loyal to Tong Sanzang/Tripitaka
• Patient, logical and polite
• The mediator between the Monkey-King and the Pig.
• Background and personality is the least developed
  among the three disciples
• At the end of journey, he is transformed into an
  arhat (luohan) by Buddha.

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Character AnalysisV. Bodhisattva

• Other names
• Guanyin
• Goddess of Mercy
• Chineses favorite divine being
• Her name means heeding the cry and she hears
  and helps all those who cry out to her when in
  need.
• During the journey, she constantly appears to
  convey important messages or help the group.

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81 Perils

• The perils of Tong Sanzang??? starts from his
  previous life, to birth, through to the end of
  his journey of collecting sutras and back home.
• 81 9x9, meaning endless perils. (9 meaning
  endless in Chinese)
• However, the actual perils of the journey were
  less than 81

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Examples of Perils

• E.g. fifth and sixth perils actually belong to a
  single incidence
• On the beginning of the journey, Tong Sanzang is
  accompanied by 2 human servants and 1 horse
• They meet a Devil Tiger General and all except
  Sanzang are eaten, whereas Sanzang is saved by a
  god from Heaven.

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Examples of Perils

• Some perils are not life threatening but related
  to the taming of all his 4 disciples - the monkey
  (chapter 13, 7 8 perils), the pig (chapter 18
  19, 12 perils), the Sha monk (Ch 22, 15 16
  perils) and the horse (Ch 15, 9 perils).
• The perils of Tong Sanzang???, thus, are also the
  perils of the whole team Master?? and his
  disciples, the monkey, the pig, the Sha monk and
  the horse.

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Examples of Perils

• E.g. Following the expel of Sun Wukong (he is
  expelled by Sanzang who is ignorant and
  erroneously misled by the cunning bony-woman),
  Sanzang?? asks the pig Zhu Bajieto go to find
  food but Bajie fells into asleep. Sanzang?? then
  asks the Sha monk to find Bajie. Sanzang?? is
  left unprotected and he is abducted by a Yellow
  devil.
• The Yellow devil turns Sanzang?? into a tiger as
  if he is a monster under disguise.
• Finally, Bajie?? goes to seek help from Wukong??
  who finally comes back to save the life of his
  Master Sanzang?? (Perils 21-23)

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Examples of Perils

• E.g. The group arrives the Women Kingdom. The
  queen wants Sanzang?? to be her wife and makes
  him King. Sanzang pretends to agree and go out
  the city to say farewell to his disciples. The
  Monkey King then quickly carries the Master away
  (perils 43).
• E.g. There are two Monkey Kings and even Sanzang
  cannot distinguish which is the real one. They
  ask a number of gods in Heaven and nobody knows
  the truth, because both of them can perform all
  the abilities. Eventually, the Buddha recognizes
  the real Sun Wukong and the pretending one is
  killed by Sun (perils 57-58)

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Examples of Perils

• E.g. The whole team goes through the Hot Firing
  Basin.
• They can only get through the mountain with the
  help of a big magic banana leaves fan from the
  Princess Iron Fan.
• However, both the princess and her husband, the
  Cow-king do not agree.
• They fight 3 fierce battles and ultimately with
  the help of heaven guards, the team finally wins
  the battle and successfully borrows the magic fan
  and goes through the mountain (perils 47-49).

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Stories behind the Perils

• All these perils are successive training of the
  team from the Master Sanzang?? to his disciples,
  Wukong??, Zhu Bajie??, the Sha monk?? and the
  horse.
• It is only through all these perils and
  struggles, mistrust and reconciliation,
  life-threatening disasters and temptation to quit
  that the whole team becomes mature and finally
  successfully achieves the purpose of collecting
  sutras from India (West Paradise) back to China.

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Stories behind the Perils

• All characters were full of human weakness
  Kind but ignorant Master Sanzang??, smart but
  rebellious Wukong??, lazy and lustful Zhu
  Bajie??, simple monk Sandy??.
• It was through these perils each individual
  became stronger and more determined, the whole
  team became more harmonious and unified, their
  bonding became stronger that they finally
  achieved their Mission.

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Analysis of Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• The characterization follows the same lines Zhu
  Bajie (the pig) is an unintelligent and lusty
  glutton Sun Wukong (the monkey) is ingenious but
  overconfident Sandy (the monk) is diligent but
  conservative Sanzang is kind-hearted but
  ignorant.
• In the allegorical interpretation, the various
  dangers and monsters are the illusions that stand
  between man and Enlightenment, though it is
  usually difficult to specify which illusion is
  associated with which monster.

46
Analysis of Journey to the West / The Xiyou ji

• The foibles of human nature, social ills in
  Chinese society, absurd features of the Chinese
  pantheonall are subjected to scrutiny, giving
  rise to numerous comic passages.

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III. The Jin Ping Mei???

• The title of the Jin Ping Mei (Plum Bloosom in
  golden vase) is actually untranslatable it is
  composed characters taken from the names of the
  three main female characters (Poon Jinling, Li
  Pingyee, Zhunmei ???,???,??).
• It is an anonymous novel in 100 chapters, thought
  to been written in the 1580s, but first printed
  in the last year of the Wanli period under the
  title Jin Ping Mei Chiua.?????

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III. The Jin Ping Mei

• The idea for the novel is taken from the story of
  Wu Song??in the Shuihu zhuan (Water Margin).
• The Jin Ping Mei described in great detail the
  life of the apothecary Ximen Qing???and his
  household in a provincial town in Shandong??.
• The novel is supposedly set in the early 12th
  century (Song Dynasty) but the social setting as
  described is clearly that of the 16th century
  (Ming Dynasty).

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The Story of the Jin Ping Mei

• The story is about Ximen Qings economic and
  political machinations, his relationships with
  his various wives (eventually six), the womens
  mutual relationships, and Ximen Qings family
  (and sexual) affairs and shady business dealings.
• Ximen Qings ethical misconduct results in his
  early and horrible death, after which his
  household is broken up.

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The Story of the Jin Ping Mei

• The subsequent life of the other characters is
  keeping with their former behavior earlier good
  and evil meet with later reward and punishment.
• In other words, a prominent theme is the working
  of retribution within a single lifetime.

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Analysis of the Characters Ximen Qing

• He is the boss of the familyhis parents were
  death.
• He inherited a herbal-medicine store from his
  father.
• He gathered his wealth quickly and became one of
  the richest in the region (Shandong).
• He had a lot of assets. e.g. a big house with a
  hugh garden, a pawn-shop, a cloth-shop, a
  silk-shop, a herbal-medicine shop
• He later became the godson of a high official,
  and was given an official post.

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Analysis of the Characters Ximen Qing

• He loved women (sex) a lot and had sexual
  relationship with his maids, his employees
  wives, and prostitutes. Those women listened to
  him for different reasons (his status, power,
  money, sexual ability).
• He was very calculative and clever in spending
  money on women.
• Sudden death in his early 30s, because of
  over-dosed of sex-medication

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Analysis of the Characters Why Ximen Qing
became so rich?

• 1. A good businessmen. His theory Money is
  something that enjoys mobility
• 2. His wives brought in a lot of assets. e.g. His
  3rd sixth wife were extremely rich widows.
• 3. He ordered his employees to buy silk directly
  from the farmers (so as to keep the cost low)
  he gave black-money to officials to avoid heavy
  tax across the provinces.
• 4. He had cash in hand. When a trader was in need
  of money, Ximen bought a ship of cloth in good
  price.
• 5. He was a loan-shark. (30 interest _at_month)
• 6. Much of his money came from corruption and
  bribery (after he became an official).

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Analysis of the CharactersXimens 1st wife
Wu???

• Ximens first wife died before the story (had a
  daughter, got married in the beginning).
• Enjoyed all privileges of the official wife,
  being the head of the wives. e.g in making new
  clothes, triple the amount of others.
• Father a mid-level official
• Traditional (under Confucian influence),
  conservative, good family background
• Very religious, believed in Buddhism and Daoism.
• In charged of the family assets e.g. Ximen kept
  all his money in her rooms.
• Never being the favorite of Ximen but did take it
  for granted. Rarely jealous of other wives.

55
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 1st wife
Wu???

• --- At first, she loved Poon (5th wife) very
  much and thought that Poon was very good. Later
  she found out that Poon was selfish and cruel.
  This showed that she was not very smart.
• Pregnant when Ximen died but her son had to
  become a monk.
• After that, she had to adopt one of Ximens close
  servant as her adopted son to inherit the family
  name and business (because there was no male in
  the family).
• Lived till 70 year-old.
• By the end, the only wife left in Ximens house

56
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 2nd wife
Li???

• A prostitute before marriage
• The only wife who was fat
• Ximen rarely stayed in her room.
• Was the familys financial controller but later
  her maid stole a gold-bracelet and she had to
  give up the post.
• Not very important throughout the text
• Became a prostitute again after Ximens death,
  then became another rich mans concubine.

57
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 3rd wife
Meng???

• First married to a rich merchant of cloth
• Remarried Ximen when she was 30
• She remarried with all the assets (cash and
  cloth) left by the first husband
• The 2nd richest wife of Ximen, e.g. she had two
  luxurious and beautiful beds
• Ximen rarely slept in her room except for the
  first two weeks of marriage
• Accepted the fact that she was not the beloved
  wife
• She and Poon formed a group
• After Ximens death, she chose a good man to be
  her husband and remarried. Had a happy life
  eventually.

58
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 4th wife
Sun???

• Was the close maid of the first official wife of
  Ximen.
• Of the lowest status among all wives
• Sometimes hardly beated by Ximen
• More like a servant than a wife, for she was
  always in the kitchen and preparing food for the
  family.
• Throughout the story, Ximen slept only a few
  times in her room.

59
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 4th wife
Sun???

• Always had quarrels with Poon
• Had an affair with one of the main servants
• After Ximens death, she wanted to run away with
  that servant with Ximens money. Both were
  caught.
• Later sold by court and became the maid of
  Zhunmei.

60
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 5th wife
Poon???

• One of the three most important female
  characters.
• Very beautiful and sexy (loved by Ximen at first
  sight)
• Came from a poor faimly. Father a tailor (lower
  class)
• Sold to a rich family and became a maid when she
  was nine.
• Resold to another rich family when 15, and then
  she learned to play music.

61
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 5th wife
Poon???

• Had an affair with the Master at 18, but his wife
  was very tough.
• The wife deliberately married Poon to the ugliest
  man in town (the one who sold cakes in the
  market).
• After marriage, Poon still had sexual
  relationship with the old Master and the husband
  knew and allowed that (for the Master gave them
  money for doing small business and renting a
  house).
• Tried to seduce her brother-in-law (Wuzhung) but
  failed.

62
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 5th wife
Poon???

• Met and was seduced by Ximen when she was 27.
• She poisoned her husband and remarried Ximen.
• Xiemn gave her a close maid, Zhunmei (one of the
  three most important characters in the book, who
  later had sexual relationship with Ximen).
  Zhunmei and Poon were very close.
• She was very possessive and would be very angry
  if Ximen slept in any other wives rooms
  (especially after Li Pingyee gave birth to a
  son).
• A lot of sexual descriptions between Poon Ximen

63
Analysis of the CharactersXimens 5th wife
Poon???

• Had an affair with Ximens son-in-law after the
  death of Ximen.
• Therefore, she was sold by Wu (1st wife) and
  bought by Wuzhung (brother-in-law of her first
  husband), for Wuzhung found out that she poisoned
  her first husband.
• Though she thought that Wuzhung was going to
  marry her, she was killed.

64
Ximens 6th wife Li Pingyee???

• One of the three most important female characters
• Very beautiful (loved by Ximen at the first
  sight), sexy, and snow-white like skin
• First marriage a concubine of a high official,
  who was murdered. Left her a lot of money.
• Second marriage to the nephew of the Kings
  servant (had an affair with the Kings servant,
  who later died and left her a great deal of
  wealth). This husband loved to stayed with the
  prostitutes and rarely went home.

65
Ximens 6th wife Li Pingyee???

• Met Ximen at 25 and was seduced by him. Let her
  husband died of illness (refused to get a doctor)
• Devoted to Ximen for he could sexually satisfy
  her.
• A lot of sexual descriptions between her Ximen.
• She married Ximen and brought in a lot of money
  and assets to the family.
• Was the richest wife and was very generous.
• Kind to the maids and servants and they all loved
  her.

66
Ximens 6th wife Li Pingyee???

• Ximens favorite wife, especially after the birth
  of a son.
• Became a lovely and good wife after marrying
  Ximen.
• Poon was very jealous of her status and favor,
  and said a lot of wicked things about Li. Li was
  very unhappy.
• The son died after 1 year-old, as he was
  frightened by Poons cat. (Poon trained her cat
  to scratch packages in red for the son always
  dressed in red).
• Li was very depressed and died in a few months.
• Had an elaborative, luxurious funeral.

67
Analysis of the Characters Zhunmei??

• One of the three most important female figures.
• At first, a maid of Wu(1st wife), then a close
  maid of Poon (whom allowed Ximen to have sexual
  relationship with Mei).
• Arrogant and proud of herself
• The most important character after Ximens death
• After Ximens death, sold by Wu to become
  Official Zhous concubinebecause Wu found out
  that she had an affair with Ximens son-in-law.
• She gave birth to a son and became the official
  wife of Zhou(after the death of the first wife).
• Met and seduced by Ximens son-in-law (Chan)
  again
• After her husbands death, she was with always
  with Chan and eventually exhausted to death(at
  the age of 29).

68
Analysis of the Jin Ping Mei

• In this novel, we also see the increased
  importance attributed to the life of ordinary
  people as examples of the process of retribution.
• But these ordinary characters are important not
  so much for their unique individuality as for
  their aptness in embodying certain types.

69
Analysis of the Jin Ping Mei

• Accordingly, the author is not interested in
  describing individual psychological processes as
  such, but in questioning how it came about that
  certain persons, under certain circumstances in a
  morally unambiguous world, allowed themselves to
  be enticed into doing evil.
• Sex being one of the most obvious of human
  inclinations, the author gives much attention to
  failings and misdeeds in this area, and there are
  a number of very explicit erotic passages, such
  as detailed description of sexual intercourse and
  sex-postures.