''Chungongtu'' (春宮圖, lit. spring palace illustration or spring palace picture), also known as ''chungonghua'' (春宮畵) or ''chungongmihua'' (春宮密畵) is a generic term for the traditional erotic art in China.The humor and technology of sex, 1970,

Paul Tabori Pál Tábori (16 November 1908 – 9 November 1974), also known as Paul Tabori, and by his pen names Paul Stafford and Christopher Stevens, was a Hungarian-born author, journalist, screenwriter and psychoanalyst. He was known for his diverse rang ...

, page 302. Mentions the tradition as "spring palace pictures" started some time from the Song dynasty.

History

The earliest mention of the word ''chungong'' is found in the ''

Chu Ci The ''Chu Ci'', variously translated as ''Verses of Chu'', ''Songs of Chu'', or ''Elegies of Chu'', is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry including works traditionally attributed mainly to Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Warring States period, ...

'', but the word only began to mean erotic paintings from the Song dynasty. The first known record of the tradition of erotic art, however, dates back to the 2nd century B.C. Chen ping of the Han Dynasty, and Guangchuanwang were said to have enjoyed drawing erotic art. The paintings were used as decorations of folding screens during the Tang dynasty. During the Yuan dynasty, the tradition had Mongolian influences. The habit of viewing erotic paintings with young ladies is also described in Chinese classical literature: according to

Robert van Gulik Robert Hans van Gulik (, 9 August 1910 – 24 September 1967) was a Dutch orientalist, diplomat, musician (of the guqin), and writer, best known for the Judge Dee historical mysteries, the protagonist of which he borrowed from the 18th-century ...

, the ''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' is a history of China finished in 111 CE, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. The work was composed by Ban Gu (32–92 CE), ...

'' mentions the following scene: "sitting in the painting house is for men and women to meet naked, buy wine and invite all fathers and sisters to drink, and make them look up at the painting.".

Zhang Heng Zhang Heng (; AD 78–139), formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized Chang Heng, was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman who lived during the Han dynasty#Eastern Han (25–220 AD), Eastern Han dynasty. Educated in the capital citi ...

, a scientist and poet of the Eastern Han Dynasty, has a line in his poem "Song of the Same Voice" (同声歌) that reference newly wedded couples viewing images together: "clothes are removed and the cosmetics wiped off, and the pictures are laid out on the pillow; the plain girl is my teacher, and the posture is great in thousand aspects." Bai Xingjian, a poet of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, mentioned it in " Tiandi yinyang jiaohuan dalefu". Wei Yangsheng, in Li Yu's "

The Carnal Prayer Mat ''Rouputuan'', also known as ''Huiquanbao'' and ''Juehouchan'', and translated as ''The Carnal Prayer Mat'' or ''The Before Midnight Scholar'', is a 17th-century Chinese erotic novel published under a pseudonym but usually attributed to Li Yu. ...

" during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

also depicts the practice saying: "Go to a calligraphy and painting shop to buy an exquisite and exquisite erotic booklet, which was written by Zhao Ziang, a scholar of this dynasty . Thirty-six sets, the thirty-six palaces in Tang poems all mean spring scenery, take it and put it in the boudoir, so it’s better for Miss Yuxiang to read it together."

Zheng Zhenduo Zheng Zhenduo (December 19, 1898 – October 17, 1958) was a Chinese journalist, writer, archaeologist and scholar. He made a significant contribution towards the establishment of the Chinese literature and the editing of a variety of literary ...

mentioned in ''Talking about Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua'' (谈金瓶梅词话)" that "obscene lyrics and music" and ''chungonghua'' are hidden in the emperor's harem. The erotic art of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

reached its popular peak during the latter part of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. Erotic paintings were also used as a medium for sex education .

Style

The tradition's philosophical roots can be found in the conception of ''yangsheng'' that characterises sex as a small version of primal creative processes; therefore the art of ''chungongtu'' depicts less exaggeration of emotions than the Japanese ''

shunga is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in Woodcut, woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word '' ...

'' would, and it focuses more on showing foreplay rather than penetration, with an emphasis on emotional harmony.The Imagination of the Body and the History of Bodily Experience,2001,栗山茂久, 国際日本文化硏究センター

References

{{Reflist Erotic art Sexuality in China Cultural history of China

History

Style

See also

References