Abstract
Ushered in by a prosperous commodity economy from the early sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth centuries, late Ming culture is commonly characterized as liberated, exemplified by the appearance of diverse writings, with ‘desire’ as their core concern. With the establishment of the Qing, however, this liberated and decadent culture underwent radical changes. The focus on the study of ritual behavior (li) in mainstream eighteenth century thought is seen as symptomatic of a revival of moral conservatism.
In this article, while not completely denying the validity of this argument, I suggest that we should not over-emphasize the restraints “li-chiao discourse” placed upon either elite culture or the general public. The emphasis on the study of ritual behavior among the gentry-literati class could, of course, influence to some extent the value system of the general public. However, contemporary with the massive writings on ritual by eighteenth century literati, there was a large variety of texts which conflicted with the solemn “li-chiao discourse.”
In this article, I shall use A sequel to the Ni-ch’eng Tune, An Extant Version of the White Snow Tune and Patching a White Fur to demonstrate the richness and diversity of “desire discourse” in eighteenth century Chinese society.
Keywords
desire, li-chiao, body, homosexuality, laughter
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