Project Gutenberg 2016-05-31 Public domain in the USA. 2135 Xiaoxiaosheng 兰陵笑笑生 Hsiao-hsiao-sheng 笑笑生 金瓶梅 Jin Ping Mei Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Ping_Mei Produced by Zeng Yu Wen "金瓶梅" by 蘭陵笑笑生 is a classic Chinese novel written during the late 16th century. This work is notable for its intricate portrayal of the domestic and social lives of 16th-century China, focusing on themes such as desire, corruption, and morality. The main character, 西門慶 (Xi Menqing), is depicted as a wealthy and morally ambiguous merchant whose relationships with various women drive the narrative. The opening of "金瓶梅" introduces the reader to the underlying themes of the novel, framing it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of indulgence in lust and material excess. The narrative begins with a prologue, which reflects on societal vices and intends to serve as a warning against the characters' follies. It then transitions into introducing 西門慶 and establishing his context—a man of wealth surrounded by dubious friends, leading a life marked by opulence and immorality. As he prepares for a gathering with these friends, the dynamics of his relationships with women, including his wives and concubines, begin to unfold, hinting at conflicts that will be central to the story. The blend of humor, critical observation, and drama sets the stage for a complex exploration of human nature and societal norms. (This is an automatically generated summary.) zh Domestic fiction Chinese fiction -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 China -- Social life and customs -- 960-1644 -- Fiction PL Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - General Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction Category: Novels 2363944 2025-06-21T04:35:18.551379 text/html 2363765 2363696 2024-12-21T17:52:51.171037 2023-09-22T13:32:19.893027 text/html text/html 1089709 2025-06-21T04:35:30.623357 application/epub+zip 1131506 2025-06-21T04:35:21.293361 application/epub+zip 1131505 2025-06-21T04:35:19.740369 application/epub+zip 2155955 2025-06-21T04:35:37.624802 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 2129015 2025-06-21T04:35:29.673378 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 2106819 2022-09-23T19:47:27.472513 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 2295872 2025-06-21T04:35:17.714375 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 2276275 2024-10-23T00:38:58 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17752 2025-06-21T04:35:37.794779 application/rdf+xml 7769 2025-06-21T04:35:20.317385 image/jpeg 2142 2025-06-21T04:35:20.031356 image/jpeg 1071986 2025-06-21T04:35:18.731380 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog zh.wikipedia