How did ancient brothels exist? Is it really that romantic?

When most people hear the word brothel, what comes to mind is the scene of dozens of beautifully dressed girls standing on both sides of the stairs and pimps standing in the middle to welcome guests. Then I can only say that you watch too many TV plays.

Brothel was actually a very tall place before the Tang Dynasty, generally referring to a luxurious and exquisite house painted with blue paint. Qū Yunchuan:? There are Zhumen in the south and brothels in the north. ? Liu Miao, a poet of the Southern Liang Dynasty, wrote in the first sentence of "Picking Mulberry on Wanshan Mountain": "I was worried about prostitutes and ended up in a brothel. Prostitutes here only refer to domestic prostitutes, but they are misunderstood by the world. Gradually, the word brothel is referred to as the place where artists stay.

By the Tang Dynasty, many contents in Tang poetry were related to prostitutes. At this time, brothels were not despised by literati, but sought after by literati. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the brothel had become synonymous with fireworks, and it was also involved in Song Ci and Yuan Qu. At this time, the brothel was also synonymous with elegance. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the continuous development of commodity economy, there were no longer only domestic prostitutes and official prostitutes, but many private brothels mushroomed. At this time, the literary literacy of these artists gradually widened the gap with the prostitutes of past dynasties. To put it simply, just like the quality of college students decades ago and now, going to college in the past was like crossing a wooden bridge, but now you can go as long as you want. With the increase of brothels, the word brothel is abused at will, and brothels are no longer entertainers who don't sell themselves. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, if a brothel artist said that he would not sell himself, he would be laughed at. ?

Why are ancient brothels fashionable and legal?

First of all, when the brothel just rose, the guests were all dignitaries and literati. Generally speaking, ordinary people can't afford to visit brothels, and dignitaries represent the attitude of the ruling class at that time, while the gossip of literati is actually the guidance of public opinion. An existence recognized by officials and public opinion is bound to be fashionable and legal.

Secondly, when brothels first emerged, many prostitutes were entertainers and did not sell themselves. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most private brothels had to register with the government. That is to say, the government is also open to the registration of brothels, just like the red light districts in some countries now, and many prostitutes were street performers at that time. ?

Finally, many prostitutes are very cultured. Because of their poor family, they stayed in brothels. Most of them are proficient in piano, chess and calligraphy. If it's put right now, it's big V and network celebrity anchor. At that time, although network celebrities didn't have anchors, they also had talent shows to choose champions. To be elected as the winner, you must go through five customs and cut six generals. Of course, if she is chosen as the winner, the woman's worth will double. Many men stay up all night chatting with based, and don't care how much they spend. When they get used to gold, silver and jewelry, Huakui's taste is high. They not only ask their guests to have money, but also ask them to have high literary literacy before giving them the opportunity to meet. Does it feel like idolize now? ?