Alice Poon
asked
Alice Poon:
What is the difference between a courtesan and a prostitute? What was it that made the late-Ming courtesan culture so unique?
Alice Poon
Throughout China's dynastic history, very little distinction was made between a courtesan and a prostitute, as both were legally classified as "entertainers" and as such, they belonged to the lowly caste of "jianmin" (worthless people) who ranked below commoners. From the Tang dynasty up to the Qing, entertainers (including courtesans, actresses and prostitutes) had to be registered with the court-run music and dance schools, which operated under the Ministry of Rites.
Generally speaking, a courtesan was someone who entertained men for a living, who possessed certain artistic skills like music, dancing, painting etc. and who could choose whether or not to offer clients bed favors, whereas a prostitute was unskilled and who only offered bed services.
The late-Ming courtesan culture was unique because there was an unprecedented number of cultured courtesans who engaged in the high art of poetry writing. It could be said that courtesans from this era enjoyed much more respect than their counterparts who lived in earlier times or after. This phenomenon had in fact been rooted in the nonconformist literati’s threefold discontent in those unsettling times.
Politically the liberal-minded scholars were dismayed with incompetent rulers and a corrupt court dominated by self-serving eunuchs. On a personal level, they felt stifled by the orthodox Neo-Confucianism teachings that advocated suppression of personal desires as well as adherence to rigid moral codes. In regards to officialdom pursuits, they were fed up with civil exams that prohibited any form of creative writing, forcing candidates to write only prosaic and dull essays that focused on the Four Books and Five Classics.
As a form of protest and outlet for pent-up emotions, these scholars set up private poetry societies, where they could engage freely in political discourse, poetry writing and appreciation, and overt promotion of poetry written by cultured courtesans who shared their political ideals. It was against this backdrop that high-minded courtesans’ literary talents found a nurturing harbor.
Because of the appearance of these quasi-political poetry societies, there was an explosion of poetry anthologies that included works by both the literati and the famous courtesans. In fact, anthologizing courtesans’ poetry became a popular activity at the poetry societies. Liu Rushi, a protagonist in Tales of Ming Courtesans, was a renowned poet-courtesan who churned out a significant body of poetic works at a very young age, and was known for her cross-dressing as a scholar and mingling with the literati.
Generally speaking, a courtesan was someone who entertained men for a living, who possessed certain artistic skills like music, dancing, painting etc. and who could choose whether or not to offer clients bed favors, whereas a prostitute was unskilled and who only offered bed services.
The late-Ming courtesan culture was unique because there was an unprecedented number of cultured courtesans who engaged in the high art of poetry writing. It could be said that courtesans from this era enjoyed much more respect than their counterparts who lived in earlier times or after. This phenomenon had in fact been rooted in the nonconformist literati’s threefold discontent in those unsettling times.
Politically the liberal-minded scholars were dismayed with incompetent rulers and a corrupt court dominated by self-serving eunuchs. On a personal level, they felt stifled by the orthodox Neo-Confucianism teachings that advocated suppression of personal desires as well as adherence to rigid moral codes. In regards to officialdom pursuits, they were fed up with civil exams that prohibited any form of creative writing, forcing candidates to write only prosaic and dull essays that focused on the Four Books and Five Classics.
As a form of protest and outlet for pent-up emotions, these scholars set up private poetry societies, where they could engage freely in political discourse, poetry writing and appreciation, and overt promotion of poetry written by cultured courtesans who shared their political ideals. It was against this backdrop that high-minded courtesans’ literary talents found a nurturing harbor.
Because of the appearance of these quasi-political poetry societies, there was an explosion of poetry anthologies that included works by both the literati and the famous courtesans. In fact, anthologizing courtesans’ poetry became a popular activity at the poetry societies. Liu Rushi, a protagonist in Tales of Ming Courtesans, was a renowned poet-courtesan who churned out a significant body of poetic works at a very young age, and was known for her cross-dressing as a scholar and mingling with the literati.
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