Flowers of Shanghai 1998
海上花
At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.
Vocabulary
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| 面对面 面對面 | face to face | |
| 壶 壺 | pot; classifier for bottled liquid | |
| 马车 馬車 | cart; chariot; carriage; buggy | |
| 枝 枝 | branch; classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc | |
| 有事 有事 | to be occupied with sth; to have sth on one's mind; there is something the matter | |
| 粥 粥 | used in 荤粥 | |
| 官司 官司 | lawsuit | |
| 舌头 舌頭 | tongue; enemy soldier captured for the purpose of extracting information | |
| 捉 捉 | to clutch; to grab; to capture | |
| 家园 家園 | home; homeland | |
| 牢 牢 | firm; sturdy; fold (for animals); sacrifice; prison | |
| 嫌 嫌 | to dislike; suspicion; resentment; enmity; abbr. for 犯, criminal suspect | |
| 珠宝 珠寶 | pearls; jewels; precious stones | |
| 晓得 曉得 | to know | |
| 棉 棉 | generic term for cotton or kapok; cotton; padded or quilted with cotton | |
| 债 債 | debt | |
| 看好 看好 | to keep an eye on | |
| 园 園 | land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation; abbr. for a place ending in 园, such as a botanical garden 植物园, kindergarten 幼儿园 etc | |
| 出事 出事 | to have an accident; to meet with a mishap | |
| 添 添 | to add; to increase; to replenish | |
| 欺负 欺負 | to bully | |
| 凶 兇 | terrible; fearful | |
| 跌 跌 | to fall; to tumble; to trip; (of prices etc) to drop; Taiwan pr. [dié] | |
| 铺 鋪 | to spread; to display; to set up; (old) holder for door-knocker | |
| 狠 狠 | ruthless; fierce; ferocious; determined; to harden (one's heart); old variant of 很 | |
| 赚钱 賺錢 | to earn money; moneymaking | |
| 险 險 | danger; dangerous; rugged | |
| 撑 撐 | to support; to prop up; to push or move with a pole; to maintain; to open or unfurl; to fill to bursting point; brace; stay; support | |
| 趟 䠀 | classifier for times, round trips or rows; a time; a trip | |
| 肯 肎 | to agree; to consent; to be willing to | |
| 档 檔 | official records; grade (of goods); file; records; shelves; slot; gap; crosspiece; classifier for crosspieces; classifier for events, affairs etc; Taiwan pr. [dǎng] | |
| 赌 賭 | to bet; to gamble | |
| 精 精 | essence; extract; vitality; energy; semen; sperm; mythical goblin spirit; highly perfected; elite; the pick of sth; proficient (refined ability); extremely (fine); selected rice (archaic) | |
| 公 公 | public; collectively owned; common; international (e.g. high seas, metric system, calendar); make public; fair; just; Duke, highest of five orders of nobility 位; honorable (gentlemen); father-in-law; male (animal) | |
| 足 足 | excessive | |
| 要么 要麼 | or; either one or the other | |
| 不见 不見 | not to see; not to meet; to have disappeared; to be missing | |
| 再说 再說 | to say again; to put off a discussion until later; moreover; what's more; besides | |
| 爽 爽 | bright; clear; crisp; open; frank; straightforward; to feel well; fine; pleasurable; invigorating; to deviate | |
| 搭 搭 | to put up; to build (scaffolding); to hang (clothes on a pole); to connect; to join; to arrange in pairs; to match; to add; to throw in (resources); to take (boat, train); variant of 褡 | |
| 塞 塞 | Serbia; Serbian; abbr. for 塞尔维亚 | |
| 拖 拕 | to drag; to tow; to trail; to hang down; to mop (the floor); to delay; to drag on | |
| 解 解 | to divide; to break up; to split; to separate; to dissolve; to solve; to melt; to remove; to untie; to loosen; to open; to emancipate; to explain; to understand; to know; a solution; a dissection | |
| 混 混 | to mix; to mingle; muddled; to drift along; to muddle along; to pass for; to get along with sb; thoughtless; reckless | |
| 理 理 | texture; grain (of wood); inner essence; intrinsic order; reason; logic; truth; science; natural science (esp. physics); to manage; to pay attention to; to run (affairs); to handle; to put in order; to tidy up | |
| 命 命 | life; fate; order or command; to assign a name, title etc | |
| 副 副 | secondary; auxiliary; deputy; assistant; vice-; abbr. for 副词 adverb; classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions | |
| 逼 偪 | variant of 逼; to compel; to pressure | |
| 清 清 | (of water etc) clear; clean; quiet; still; pure; uncorrupted; clear; distinct; to clear; to settle (accounts) | |
| 据 㨿 | used in 据 |