From translator Lenny Hu, who brought the acclaimed erotic Chinese novel The Embroidered Couch back into print, is this collection of five erotic stories, also from Ming dynasty China. Ling Mengchu (1580-1644) was a prolific writer, producing more than thirty works in various genres during his lifetime. A Confucian scholar, described as having been an "ethical hedonist," he was a product of his times. The late Ming period was characterized by increasing...