Li Yu (, given name: 仙侣 Xiānlǚ;

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

: 笠翁 Lìwēng; 1611–1680 AD), also known as Li Liweng, was a Chinese playwright, novelist and publisher.

Life and writings

Born in

Rugao Rugao () is a county-level city under the administration of Nantong, Jiangsu province, China, located in the Yangtze River Delta on the northern (left) bank of the river. History In 411, the western part of then Hailing ( Taizhou) was separated f ...

, in present-day

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

province, he lived in the late

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

and early

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

dynasties. Although he passed the first stage of the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

, he did not succeed in passing the higher levels before the political turmoil of the new dynasty, but instead turned to writing for the market. Li was an actor, producer, and director as well as a playwright, who traveled with his own troupe. His play ''Fēngzhēng wù'' (風箏誤, "Errors caused by the Kite") remains a favorite of the Chinese Kun opera stage. His biographers call him a "writer-entrepreneur" and the “most versatile and enterprising writer of his time”. Li is the presumed author of '' Ròu pútuán'' (肉蒲團, ''

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. ...

''), a well-crafted comedy and a classic of Chinese

erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feelin ...

. He also wrote a book of short stories called ''Shí'èr lóu'' (十二樓, "Twelve Towers"). In his time he was widely read, and appreciated for his daringly innovative subject matter. He addresses the topic of same-sex love in the tale ''Cuìyǎ lóu'' (萃雅樓, "House of Gathered Refinements"). This is a theme which he revisits in the collection ''Wúshēng xì'' (無聲戲, "Silent Operas" i.e. "novels") and his play ''

The Fragrant Companion ''The Fragrant Companion'' () is a Chinese play by Li Yu, written in 1651. The story is about two girls, Cui Jianyun () and Cao Yuhua (), who fell for each other after their encounter. The story is about female homosexuality in a patrilineal so ...

''. The painting manual ''

Jieziyuan Huazhuan ''Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden'' (, ), sometimes known as (), is a printed manual of Chinese painting compiled during the early-Qing Dynasty. Many renowned later Chinese painters, like Qi Baishi, began their drawing lessons with the manual. ...

'' was prefaced and published by Li in

Jinling Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

. Li was also known for his informal essays, or ''xiaopin'' (), and for his

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

and gastronomical writings.

Lin Yutang Lin Yutang ( ; October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976) was a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generati ...

championed Li and translated a number of these essays. Li's whimsical, ironic "On Having a Stomach" proposes that the mouth and the stomach "cause all the worry and trouble of mankind throughout the ages." He continues that the "plants can live without a mouth and a stomach, and the rocks and the soil have their being without any nourishment. Why, then, must we be given a mouth and a stomach and endowed with these two extra organs?" Lin also translated Li's "How to be Happy Though Rich" and "How to be Happy Though Poor", and "The Arts of Sleeping, Walking, Sitting and Standing", which illustrate his satirical approach to serious topics.Yutang Lin, ''The Importance of Understanding: Translations from the Chinese'' (Cleveland: World, 1960).

Translations

Patrick Hanan Patrick Dewes Hanan (4 January 192726 April 2014) was a New Zealand scholar of Chinese literature who was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. A sinologist, he specialised in pre-20th-century vernacular f ...

et al. (1990). "Silent Operas (Wusheng Xi)". Hong Kong: Research Centre for Translation, Chinese University of Hong Kong. * Patrick Hanan (1996). ''The Carnal Prayer Mat''. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press. . * Patrick Hanan (1998). ''Tower for the Summer Heat''. New York : Columbia University Press. . * Nathan K Mao (1979).
Twelve towers : short stories
'. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. . * Jacques Dars (2003). ''Au gré d'humeurs oisives : Les carnets secrets de Li Yu : un art du bonheur en Chine''. Arles : Éditions Philippe Picquier. * ''Jou-pu-tuan : Andachtsmatten aus Fleisch ; e. erot. Roman aus d. Ming-Zeit''. Frankfurt am Main : Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag. . 1986. * LI‑YU ''Jeou-P'ou-T'ouan, la chair comme tapis de prière'', translated by Pierre Klossowski; Éditions Jean-Jacques Pauvert, Paris, 1979 * Li Yu: ''À mari jaloux, femme fidèle'', by Pascale Frey 1998

References

Sources and further reading

* Chen, Duo
"Li Yu"
''

Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, begi ...

'', 1st ed. * Chun-Shu Chang and Shelley Hsueh-Lun Chang. ''

Crisis and Transformation in Seventeenth-Century China ''Crisis and Transformation in Seventeenth-Century China: Society, Culture, and Modernity in Li Yü's World'' is a 1992 book written by Chun-shu Chang and Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang about the transition in seventeenth-century China from the Ming dyna ...

: Society, Culture, and Modernity in Li Yü's World''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1992. x, 452p. . * Owen, Stephen, "Li, Yu, ''Silent Operas (Wu-sheng xi)''," in Stephen Owen, ed. ''An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911''. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997
p. 915-941
(.
Archive
. * Patrick Hanan (1988). ''The Invention of Li Yu''. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. . Comprehensive overview of Li Yu's life and works, containing many substantial excerpts from Li Yu's essays, plays, short stories and novel. * Andrea Stocken: Das Ästhetikkonzept des Li Yu (1610–1680) im Xianqing ouji im Zusammenhang von Leben und Werk. 2005 * HENRY, Eric: Chinese Amusement - The Lively Plays of Li Yü.Archon Books Hamden, CT 1980 * Воскресенский Д.Н. Ли Юй. Полуночник Вэйян или подстилка из плоти. (пер. с кит., предисл., коммент.) М., Гудьял-Пресс *Воскресенский Д.Н. Ли Юй. Двенадцать башен (повести XVII в.). (пер. с кит., предисл., коммент.) М., Гудьял-Пресс *

External links

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Identity Pag
Yi Li

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Yu 1610 births 1680 deaths Chinese erotica writers Ming dynasty novelists Qing dynasty novelists Writers from Nantong Chinese male novelists Qing dynasty dramatists and playwrights Chinese male short story writers Ming dynasty short story writers Qing dynasty short story writers Short story writers from Jiangsu People from Rugao 17th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights 17th-century Chinese novelists 17th-century theatre managers