num_pages: 392
description: As befits a society of culture and sophistication, the ancient Chinese gave a lot of thought to the matter of sex. But contrary to the images of depravity that characterize many Westerners' ideas of Chinese sexual habits, people in ancient China viewed sex as healthy and normal and approached all aspects of it with an unreserved, joyful acceptance. Van Gulik bases his study on ancient Chinese texts and schools of thought. Introductory chapters cover 1500 B.C.-22 B.C., ranging over religion, customs, and culture, and discussing ideas contained in the  I-Ching, as well as from Taoism and Confucianism. Also examined are the Han dynasty's "handbooks on sex," quotations from "The Bedchamber," the origins of foot-binding, the graphic writings of the pleasure-loving T'ang dynasty, and sex in literature and art during the Mongol and Ming dynasties. An interesting survey of China's social, cultural, and political background, this survey suggests that a guiding tenet of Chinese culture was the belief in the careful balancing of the male and female elements, the cosmic forces of  yin and  yang. B&amp;W photos.
language: English
title: Sexual Life in Ancient China: A Preliminary Survey of Chinese Sex and Society from Ca. 1500 BC Till 1644 AD
titlecomplete: Sexual Life in Ancient China: A Preliminary Survey of Chinese Sex and Society from Ca. 1500 BC Till 1644 AD
genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, China, Sexuality, History
ratings_count: 68
series: Sinica Leidensia
publisher: Brill