Companion Book – A Love Match

Author: Tianyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: In traditional Chinese culture, the literature on the beauty of women is quite developed, to the extent that every detail is meticulously crafted, scrutinized, and embellished. This excessively focused cultural attention on female beauty has become "xiangyan" (alluring). Some say that xiangyan beauty is vulgar and shameless desire, while others argue that it is an overly exaggerated sentiment. Everyone has their own view on [xiangyan], with the saying that "the benevolent see benevolence, and the wise see wisdom." Excluding some unavoidable negative ideologies from history, we can freely find beauty in the fragrance and allure—beauty related to women. This is a beautiful world: every posture embodies a gentle and vibrant life force; every expression reflects a rich and refined sentiment. Thus, there are poems praising willow brows, snow-white cheeks, fragrant tongues, slender shoulders, slender waists, and delicate fingers. There are the graceful postures of [Lingbo's subtle steps] and [Feiyàn's dance in the palm], and there are the timeless masterpieces like [a single glance back, a hundred beauties are born] and [the city-toppling beauty, the country-toppling grace]. The beauty of xiangyan far exceeds the slender and plump figures or the romantic tales of Mount Wu. That is merely hunting for beauty. Xiangyan exists between desire and art. What it is, let the discerning mind decide.