These images are most likely from late imperial China. They depict the "lake of wine" 酒池 and "forest of meat" 肉林 allegedly created by the last kings of the Xia and Shang dynasties. These excesses of food, drink, and flesh of all kinds became emblematic of the evil deeds of last rulers of dynasties in classical Chinese historiography.

A bit of language trivia: In modern Chinese "lake of wine; forest of meat" (jiuchi roulin) does not exist as an ordinary term. It is found only in the largest dictionaries and simply refers to this classical portrayal of emperors Jie and Zhou. Most Chinese today would have only a vague idea what the term "jiuchi roulin" might mean. In Japan, however, this term entered ordinary language. The pronunciation is shuchi nikurin. Nearly everyone in Japan would know the term, but virtually nobody would know of its origins in classical Chinese literature. And what does it mean? Strictly speaking, it means a vast feast or banquet. But in popular usage, it also carries strong overtones of other kinds of pleasures of the flesh, as well as a hedonistic lifestyle in general. Below is Yoshisawa Norio's conception of the total sense of the shuchi nikurin:

 (from Dokoka okashii Nihongo: Nihongo goyô jiten, Goma Books)

This page is part of www.east-asian-history.net. If you arrived here via a link from within the site, simply close this window or tab to return. If you arrived here via a web search or an external link, click the icon at left to go to the home page or click this link to go to the index page for the textbooks: www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/.