A social history of “erotic literature”—The translation, publication, and readers of reproductive medicine books in the late Qing

In the cultural market of the late Qing Dynasty, more than fifty kinds of reproductive medical books based on Japanese translations were available, but little scholarly attention has been paid to their publication background and their impact. In fact, the translators and authors of these books justified the purpose of their composition, translation, and publication to health, race, and the nation, and they stressed the importance of improving reproduction on the basis of “science” from Europe and the United States (including Japan) and knowledge on medicine and health. Even though the quality of their composition and translation was often inadequate, there was much commercial hype surrounded their publication, and they were often seen as “erotic books” that were nominally on health, they had a great impact and warrant further scholarly investigation

Art · Literature · Chinese history and philosophy · Classics · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · History