Jin Ping Mei Illustrated Collection

Author: Cao Hanmei Illustrations
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-07-01
Features: The Golden Lotus is a of ancient China, renowned for its immense influence and the multitude of translations it has spawned, making it celebrated worldwide and unparalleled in history. Lu Xun highly praised it as "the supreme among all storytelling works," while Zheng Zhenduo called it "a truly great realistic novel." The The Golden Lotus Picture Album features two sets of eight labels, double-sided printed with sixteen images. It is an artistic recreation of twelve carefully selected scenes from the original book's five hundred illustrations: , 5, 8, 16, 37, 40, 251, 290, 350, 376, 425, and 496.
The Golden Lotus is a of ancient China, renowned for its immense influence and the multitude of translations it has spawned, making it celebrated worldwide and unparalleled in history. Lu Xun highly praised it as "the supreme among all storytelling works," while Zheng Zhenduo called it "a truly great realistic novel." In 2003, after acquiring the The Golden Lotus Picture Album published by Shanghai Bookstore, I was immediately captivated by its stunning illustrations. Among the five hundred scenes, none were repetitive; the characters were lifelike, the backgrounds simplified yet vivid, and the perspectives varied—whether panoramic, close-up, overhead, or low-angle. The meticulous details in the illustrations reached an extreme level of craftsmanship, and the expressions were utterly expressive. The brushwork was elegant and forceful, the composition innovative yet harmonious. It fully employed various artistic techniques from ancient and modern times, with bold and seasoned lines. The deep courtyards of China and the neighborhood teahouses were rendered with clarity. Each scene seemed to come alive, capturing joy, laughter, anger, and scorn in every gesture. Truly, it stands as a masterpiece in the treasury of sequential art. At the time, I wished there were a set of labels, and I even prepared to propose this idea at the annual meeting.
The The Golden Lotus Picture Album is a result of Cao Hanmei's ten-year dedication, with multiple revisions and continuous refinement. In 1942, Shanghai's National News Publishing House released Cao Hanmei's Complete Illustrations of The Golden Lotus, consisting of five hundred scenes, each accompanied by excerpts from the novel. Titled "Complete Illustrations," in reality, Cao Hanmei only painted thirty-five chapters of The Golden Lotus. The promotional materials at the time read, "The text is a remarkable work, and the illustrations are equally outstanding. The images above and the text below form a perfect harmony," and further stated, "Without the original The Golden Lotus, Cao's artistry cannot be fully appreciated, and without Cao's illustrations, the brilliance of The Golden Lotus remains untapped."
The twelve scenes selected for the labels are exquisite, fully capturing the expressions and actions of the characters, presenting a multi-angle and multi-layered portrayal of Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian's debauchery. Though few in number, they offer a comprehensive glimpse of the entire album. The only drawback is that scenes from one hundred to two hundred were not included, which slightly disappointed me.
The Golden Lotus is a of ancient China, renowned for its immense influence and the multitude of translations it has spawned, making it celebrated worldwide and unparalleled in history. Lu Xun highly praised it as "the supreme among all storytelling works," while Zheng Zhenduo called it "a truly great realistic novel." The The Golden Lotus Picture Album features two sets of eight labels, double-sided printed with sixteen images. It is an artistic recreation of twelve carefully selected scenes from the original book's five hundred illustrations: , 5, 8, 16, 37, 40, 251, 290, 350, 376, 425, and 496.
The Golden Lotus is a of ancient China, renowned for its immense influence and the multitude of translations it has spawned, making it celebrated worldwide and unparalleled in history. Lu Xun highly praised it as "the supreme among all storytelling works," while Zheng Zhenduo called it "a truly great realistic novel." In 2003, after acquiring the The Golden Lotus Picture Album published by Shanghai Bookstore, I was immediately captivated by its stunning illustrations. Among the five hundred scenes, none were repetitive; the characters were lifelike, the backgrounds simplified yet vivid, and the perspectives varied—whether panoramic, close-up, overhead, or low-angle. The meticulous details in the illustrations reached an extreme level of craftsmanship, and the expressions were utterly expressive. The brushwork was elegant and forceful, the composition innovative yet harmonious. It fully employed various artistic techniques from ancient and modern times, with bold and seasoned lines. The deep courtyards of China and the neighborhood teahouses were rendered with clarity. Each scene seemed to come alive, capturing joy, laughter, anger, and scorn in every gesture. Truly, it stands as a masterpiece in the treasury of sequential art. At the time, I wished there were a set of labels, and I even prepared to propose this idea at the annual meeting.
The The Golden Lotus Picture Album is a result of Cao Hanmei's ten-year dedication, with multiple revisions and continuous refinement. In 1942, Shanghai's National News Publishing House released Cao Hanmei's Complete Illustrations of The Golden Lotus, consisting of five hundred scenes, each accompanied by excerpts from the novel. Titled "Complete Illustrations," in reality, Cao Hanmei only painted thirty-five chapters of The Golden Lotus. The promotional materials at the time read, "The text is a remarkable work, and the illustrations are equally outstanding. The images above and the text below form a perfect harmony," and further stated, "Without the original The Golden Lotus, Cao's artistry cannot be fully appreciated, and without Cao's illustrations, the brilliance of The Golden Lotus remains untapped."
The twelve scenes selected for the labels are exquisite, fully capturing the expressions and actions of the characters, presenting a multi-angle and multi-layered portrayal of Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian's debauchery. Though few in number, they offer a comprehensive glimpse of the entire album. The only drawback is that scenes from one hundred to two hundred were not included, which slightly disappointed me.