Gu Wan Yan (Upper Middle and Lower)

Author: Cao Qujing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The Unfounded Words is a long, serial novel written by Cao Qujing, a native of Liaodong, during the early years of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty, yet it has never been documented in literature. In the 1940s, a fragmented manuscript of The Unfounded Words surfaced in Shanghai. In the 1960s, a complete manuscript was discovered in the Soviet Union, but scholars in China still could not access it. By the 1990s, the complete publication of The Unfounded Words appeared in Taiwan, immediately sparking acclaim in academia. The Unfounded Words boasts a unique form, rich and extensive content covering all aspects of life, and holds significant value for researching the history of ancient Chinese literature, culture, folklore, and even economic history. The discovery and publication of The Unfounded Words, a work unknown in China but long sleeping abroad for 150 years, is a landmark event in the study of Chinese classical fiction and a cherished chapter in the history of Sino-Russian academic exchange. The Unfounded Words is an encyclopedia of ancient sex culture and holds an important position in the history of sex culture. It can be regarded as the culmination of ancient erotic novels and is truly a long masterpiece of sex literature.
The author disagrees with equating ancient Chinese erotic novels with pornography and classifying The Unfounded Words in that category, but appreciates the view that it is the pinnacle of sexual descriptions in ancient Chinese fiction. The sexual content in The Unfounded Words is indeed astonishing. First, in terms of length, the 24 chapters of the novel contain very few scenes of sexual description, with a total of 900,000 words, of which approximately one-fifth involve sex. In this regard, it follows in the footsteps of works like The Flesh Palace and The Tale of the Embroidered Couch, far surpassing The Golden Lotus and its sequels. Second, as noted in the Publisher's Statement, "the novel depicts scenarios involving one woman with multiple men, one man with multiple women, as well as mixed relationships, incest, and homosexual encounters. It also includes interspecies sex, such as human-dog, human-mule, and human-monkey relationships. The practices of 'harvesting yin to replenish yang' and 'harvesting yang to replenish yin' are described, along with fatal consequences from such practices, such as a man being killed while trying to harvest a woman's essence or a fox losing its elixir after stealing a man's vital energy. The novel also features depictions of erotic manuals, aphrodisiacs like 'the fragrance of uncovering the bed,' 'unyielding steel,' 'purple gold elixir,' and 'the elixir of endless desire,' as well as toys like the 'ring bells,' 'white silk sashes,' and 'Mr. Horn.' All the various tropes and tools found in ancient erotic novels appear in this work, reflecting the influence of novels such as The Tale of the Elastigirl, The Tale of the Embroidered Couch, The Golden Lotus, The Foolish Wife, and The Flesh Palace]." Third, the author "uses eroticism to deliver moral lessons," focusing on horrifying "sexual retribution." In a feudal society where the common people firmly believed in cause and effect, this indeed served to warn and enlighten. However, the above characteristics of sexual description in The Unfounded Words merely show that it surpassed The Golden Lotus and The Flesh Palace in following their creative path and did not yet demonstrate any innovation. In the author's view, the repetitive sexual content is a means to expose and criticize the ugliness of the late Ming (early Qing) era and the dark side of human nature.
First, many of the sexual scenes in the novel are indispensable for exposing and condemning the ugliness of society and the dark side of human nature. Second, in terms of the depth of sexual description, The Unfounded Words has made significant progress. While it still contains numerous descriptions of various sexual acts, forms, and processes, it also features outstanding analyses and portrayals of sexual repression, fantasy, and psychology, revealing the social, physiological, and moral reasons behind the perverse sexual lives of the lecherous women. This is the new achievement and characteristic of The Unfounded Words in sexual description. Despite hundreds of erotic scenes in the book, the characters depicted are vivid and lifelike in the author's hands, and the details of the plot are meticulously and exquisitely explained.
The author Cao Qujing writes in the preface to the entire work: "I have regarded man as delusion, and yet man regards me as delusion. In the universe, nothing can be beyond delusion between one and another! Alas! And what of this book of mine—is it not also considered delusion? Therefore, it cannot but be named The Unfounded Words! Yet, is it delusion or not? Only those who understand the heart can discern it!"