Description: A novelistic version of a love affair between a notorious emperor and an innocent courtesan, The Emperor of China in a House of Ill Repute enjoyed remarkable popularity throughout the Qing dynasty. Its author is one of China's most famous writers. This is the first translation of the work in any language.
Review Quotes: "Consistently entertaining - a very rollicking good read. The mix of crudeness and eloquence--manifesting itself both in the presentation of the story and in the character of the Zhengde emperor - can be jarring, but often also works well, especially in the confusion it causes those who deal with the Zhengde emperor... A solid, full-fledged novel, and it's good to see it available in English translation. This Hsu-Tang Library of Classical Chinese Literature also provides the Chinese original facing the translation - always welcome - and Wilt L. Idema's Introduction is also a helpful and informative one." -- The Complete Review
"[The Hsu-Tang Library] will open up a classical tradition that spans millennia, relatively little of which has ever been translated into English. There is a humanity and irreverence to some of these works that readers expecting stuffy, prim Confucian moralizing will find refreshing." -- The Wall Street Journal