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Jin Ping Mei (Chinese: 金瓶梅; pinyin: Jīn Píng Méi), translated as The Plum in the Golden Vase or The Golden Lotus, is a Chinese naturalistic novel composed in vernacular Chinese during the late Ming Dynasty. The anonymous author took the pseudonym Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (蘭陵笑笑生), 'The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling', and his identity is otherwise unknown. The earliest known versions of the novel exist only in handwritten scripts; the first block-printed book was released only in 1610. The more complete version available today comprises one hundred chapters, amounting to over a thousand pages.<br/><br/> Jin Ping Mei takes its name from the three central female characters — Pan Jinlian (潘金蓮, whose given name means 'Golden Lotus'); Li Ping'er (李瓶兒, given name literally means, 'Little Vase'), a concubine of Ximen Qing; and Pang Chunmei (龐春梅, 'Spring plum blossoms'), a young maid who rises to power within the family. According to some Chinese critics, each of the three Chinese characters in its title symbolizes an aspect about human nature, such as mei (梅), plum blossoms, is metaphoric for sexuality.
Homosexuality in China was traditionally widespread in the region. Historically, homosexual relationships were regarded as a normal facet of life, and the existence of homosexuality in China has been well documented since ancient times. Many early Chinese emperors are speculated to have had homosexual relationships, often accompanied by heterosexual ones. Opposition to homosexuality and the rise of homophobia did not become firmly established in China until the 19th and 20th centuries, through the Westernization efforts of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Homosexuality was banned in the People's Republic of China, until it was legalised in 1997.<br/><br/> Traditional terms for homosexuality included 'the passion of the cut sleeve' (断袖之癖, Mandarin, Pinyin: duànxiù zhī pǐ), and 'the bitten peach' (分桃 Pinyin: fēntáo). Other, less literary, terms have included 'male trend' (男風 Pinyin: nánfēng), 'allied brothers' (香火兄弟 Pinyin: xiānghuǒ xiōngdì), and 'the passion of Longyang' (龍陽癖 Pinyin: lóngyángpǐ), referencing a homoerotic anecdote about Lord Long Yang in the Warring States Period. The formal modern word for homosexuality/homosexual is tongxinglian (同性戀, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn, literally same-sex relations/love) or tongxinglian zhe (同性戀者, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn zhě, homosexual people). Instead of this formal word, 'tongzhi' (同志 Pinyin: tóngzhì), simply a head-rhyme word, is more commonly used in the gay community.