Resumen
Resumen de La ciruela en el jarrón de oro
Para quién es
For readers who love sprawling family sagas, sharp social satire, banquet scenes, Chinese history and storytelling.
De qué trata este libro
What happens when a man with money, a sharp mind and no restraint sets his eyes on his neighbour's wife? The Plum in the Golden Vase, attributed to Xiaoxiaosheng, follows one rich merchant of Qinghe County and his crowded household. It gives you the story's main turns, its people and the warning behind it, a frank, funny and bitter picture of a town where everything has a price. We begin with the man himself.
En este resumen
- 1Ximen Qing rules Qinghe CountyFree
- 2A tiger killer finds his brother's wife
- 3A falling pole and a matchmaker's plan
- 4Bribes bury a crime in plain sight
- 5A household of wives who compete for him
- 6Money buys rank and a son is born
- 7Friends, flatterers and a town that sells itself
- 8A warning about wealth and desire
- 9How the story is told
Idea clave 1 de 9
Ximen Qing rules Qinghe County
The novel opens in the Zhenghe era under Emperor Huizong. He has a household of wives and a pack of idle friends led by the clown Ying Bojue and the hanger-on Xie Xida.
Before he appears, a sermon attributed to the immortal Lü Yan warns of four dangers: wine, sex, wealth and anger. Wealth and sex get the most blame, and all of it is called illusion. Then Ximen Qing and his friends, including Hua Zixu, swear brotherhood as a band of ten at the Jade Emperor Temple, joking before the guardian statues of the shrine.
So the story starts with a warning and a laugh together. The listener meets a man who has every comfort and no sense of limit. What he wants next drives everything that follows.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Ximen Qing
- Ximen Qing is a wealthy Qinghe merchant whose wives, servants and influential friends share his pursuit of pleasure and status.
- Pan Jinlian
- Pan Jinlian is Wu Da's dissatisfied wife, whose desire for comfort and attention draws her toward Ximen Qing.
- Wu Yueniang
- Wu Yueniang is Ximen Qing's principal wife, responsible for household order and protective of her standing among the women.
- Li Ping'er
- Li Ping'er is a wealthy woman whose connection with Ximen Qing feeds rivalry and jealousy within his household.
- Pang Chunmei
- Pang Chunmei is Pan Jinlian's bold, sharp-tongued maid, closely involved in her mistress's household relationships.
- Ying Bojue
- Ying Bojue is Ximen Qing's flattering sworn brother, dependent on his hospitality and eager to profit from their friendship.
- Wang Po
- Wang Po is Pan Jinlian's neighboring tea-shop keeper, a go-between who arranges intimate meetings for money.
- Wu Song
- Wu Song is Wu Da's brother, a formidable tiger-fighting warrior connected to Pan Jinlian through her marriage.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 101,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 6 h 45 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about La ciruela en el jarrón de oro
What is The Plum in the Golden Vase about?
It follows Ximen Qing, a rich merchant and official in Qinghe County, and the wives, servants and friends around him. It shows how money, bribes and desire shape one household and one town.
Who is Pan Jinlian?
She is jealous and clever, and she competes with the other women in the house for his favour.
Which women shape the household story?
Pan Jinlian and Li Ping'er compete for Ximen Qing's favour.
Is The Plum in the Golden Vase a true story?
No. It is a novel set under Emperor Huizong. It follows Ximen Qing and his household, with Wu Song's search for justice woven into their story.
Why is the book so frank about sex?
The preface presents the book as a warning. The explicit scenes show appetite and its costs, and the story follows with consequences for the people who indulge.