The Plum in the Golden Vase Volume 2 (of 5): The Rivals

The second volume in this work deals with Hsi-Men Ch'ing's household after he has added his two latest wives P'an Chin-lien and Li P'ing-erh. The main thread going through this part of the novel is P'an Chin-lien's maleficent influence on the household and especially her growing envy of Li P'ing-erh, who quickly becomes pregnant with Hsi-Men Ch'ing's only son. Li P'ing-erh herself fades into the background somewhat in this volume, compliantly fitting in to the household. There are also all sorts of corrupt business and official dealings and more sexual hanky-panky from Hsi-me Ch'ing, who is seemingly never satisfied with his bevy of wives. There are beatings, suicides, underhand business dealings, corrupt justice, obsequious bribes and show more gift-giving aplenty. Hsi-Men Ch'ing is a bit like a classical Chinese Tony Soprano, a sexually voracious bully at the height of his power.

One of the distinctive things about this book are the couplets, poems and quotes from popular songs (of the day) which intersperse the prose. These have been rendered well by David Tod Roy, with erudite notes. Although the sourcing is meticulous, as a non-Chinese scholar I would have preferred a bit more discussion in the notes. It is however a tiny quibble. Another very useful adjunct is an annotated glossary of characters in the book -- there are very many and the names can be unfamiliar. This book took me a while to read, though the chapters are not too long. The ending of the book is a bit inconclusive, but then it is chapters 21-40 of a hundred chapters so it is not surprising. show less