{"product_id":"plum-shadows-and-plank-bridge-two-memoirs-about-courtesans-9780231186858","title":"Plum Shadows and Plank Bridge: Two Memoirs about Courtesans","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmid the turmoil of the Ming-Qing dynastic transition in seventeenth-century China, some intellectuals sought refuge in romantic memories from what they perceived as cataclysmic events. This volume presents two memoirs by famous men of letters, \u003ci\u003e Reminiscences of the Plum Shadows Convent\u003c\/i\u003e by Mao Xiang (1611-93) and \u003ci\u003eMiscellaneous Records of Plank Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e by Yu Huai (1616-96), that recall times spent with courtesans. They evoke the courtesan world in the final decades of the Ming dynasty and the aftermath of its collapse. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMao Xiang chronicles his relationship with the courtesan Dong Bai, who became his concubine two years before the Ming dynasty fell. His mournful remembrance of their life together, written shortly after her early death, includes harrowing descriptions of their wartime sufferings as well as idyllic depictions of romantic bliss. Yu Huai offers a group portrait of Nanjing courtesans, mixing personal memories with reported anecdotes. Writing fifty years after the fall of the Ming, he expresses a deep nostalgia for courtesan culture that bears the toll of individual loss and national calamity. Together, they shed light on the sensibilities of late Ming intellectuals: their recollections of refined pleasures and ruminations on the vagaries of memory coexist with political engagement and a belief in bearing witness. With an introduction and extensive annotations, \u003ci\u003ePlum Shadows and Plank Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e is a valuable source for the literature of remembrance, the representation of women, and the social role of intellectuals during a tumultuous period in Chinese history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-12349541\"\u003eWai-Yee Li\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-12595933\"\u003eXiang Mao\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-9308102\"\u003eHuai Yu\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/21\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231186858\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231186851\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-LCO\"\u003eLiterary Collections\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-LCO004010\"\u003eAsian | Chinese\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO026000\"\u003ePersonal Memoirs\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-LIT\"\u003eLiterary Criticism\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-LIT025050\"\u003eSubjects \u0026amp; Themes | Women\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWai-yee Li is professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University. Her publications include \u003ci\u003eWomen and National Trauma in Late Imperial Chinese Literature\u003c\/i\u003e (2014) and \u003ci\u003eThe Columbia Anthology of Yuan Drama\u003c\/i\u003e (Columbia, 2014).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43830515105931,"sku":"9780231186858","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5100\/7115\/files\/img_604f27d0-7936-4a5d-9c30-46a0e78316db.jpg?v=1755578887","url":"https:\/\/cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/products\/plum-shadows-and-plank-bridge-two-memoirs-about-courtesans-9780231186858","provider":"CA Corrections Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}