Above all, however, it was most famous for the ‘blue houses’ – the residences of the high-class courtesans of the city. Like everything in Tang Chang’an, the world of these women was highly regulated. They were licensed, inspected and taxed. Following the official edicts and timetables they were careful to observe all the big feast days and imperial ceremonies, with painted panels hung in their entrance halls marking the death days of emperors when no music could be played. They were experts in the calendar, accomplished in the I Ching, trained in music, poetry, dance and the preparation of
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