The Ten-Tailed Turtle (3)

Lu Shi'eJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 51K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Ten-Tailed Turtle (Volume 3) is a Qing-dynasty serialized vernacular novel of manners by the late-Qing literatus Lu Shi'e, depicting the Shanghai Bund in the final years of the Qing. Completed in 1911 (Xuantong 3), its extant editions include the 1911 Xinxin Xiaoshuo She edition and the 1994 Chunfeng Wenyi Publishing House typeset edition in the "Rare Ancient Chinese Novels Series."

The novel portrays the glittering life of old Shanghai's foreign concessions: provincial landlords, compradors, nouveaux riches, returned students, shop owners, military and government officials, brokers, hangers-on, swindlers, young ladies, concubines… all drawn into a murky vortex, revealing the social phenomena of the early transition from a closed society to an open one—observations that remain strikingly relevant today.

Editor's review

Volume 3 of Ten-Tailed Turtle continues the serialized novel of manners set in late-Qing Shanghai, placing landlords, compradors, nouveaux riches, returned students, shop owners, officials, brokers, hangers-on, swindlers, young ladies, and concubines within the glittering, calculating whirl of the foreign concessions. Its value lies in the orchestration of a large cast: people of different origins and schemes exploit and exhaust one another under the same urban rules, showing how identity, money, and respectability were reordered in the early transition from a closed society to an open one. The narrative has the short-episode rhythm of late-Qing newspaper serialization, with dense incidents; it suits readers interested in social history and serves as an early sample of Shanghai urban writing. Read together with Volume 2, the character relationships and power structure become clearer. Don't rush to find a single protagonist; focus instead on character types and scene details. The depictions of speculation, packaging, credit, and face still resonate today.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in modern Shanghai's social life and novels of manners
Readers who enjoy large casts and serialized chapter narratives
Students and scholars of late-Qing popular fiction and treaty-port culture
Readers who want to observe social transitions through fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer a single protagonist and a strong linear plot
Those uncomfortable with late-Qing vernacular style and serialized structure
Readers seeking clear modern moral judgment or lyrical prose

Reading tips

Read alongside Volume 2 and note how characters reappear and relationships shift across chapters.
After every few chapters, summarize character types and conflicts to build your own relationship map.
Compare the concession scenes with modern Shanghai urban history for deeper understanding.
The serialized form is long; set regular reading sessions and read chapter by chapter to avoid losing the thread.

版权信息
第十五回春生锦帐婆媳联床变起家庭爷儿吃醋
第十六回痛娇儿风凄雨冷建新论石破天惊
第十七回恩庆里马夫打野鸡普天香嫖客施毒计
第十八回卜神课瞎子吃耳光唱山歌滑头剪辫子
第十九回奔角稽颡心惊狮吼握拳透爪气慑奸雄
第二十回索金钏滑头露马脚打茶围缺嘴吹牛皮
第二十一回钱姨姨三更惊噩梦费太太一棹访春

FAQ

How does Volume 3 relate to Volume 2 in content?

Both are parts of the serialized novel Ten-Tailed Turtle; according to available information, both depict late-Qing Shanghai, sharing characters and themes of social manners. Volume 3 continues the group portrait; specific chapter contents should be read in the edition. Reading in order makes relationships and plot clearer.

Is this book suitable as historical material?

It is first a novel of manners, not a strict historical work. Yet its depictions of concession characters, treaty-port life, and social phenomena offer reference value for social history. It is best read alongside studies of modern Shanghai urban history and treaty-port culture, not as standalone historical evidence.

There are so many characters—how do I avoid confusion?

Dense casts are normal in serialized group-portrait novels. Note each character's identity, circle, and main interests as you read, and review briefly every few chapters. Following type threads—landlords, compradors, nouveaux riches, brokers, hangers-on—is easier than memorizing each person.

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About the author

Lu Shi'e Author · China · 1878–1944

Lu Shi'e (1878–1944), whose given name was Shouxian and courtesy name Yunxiang, was a novelist and a well-known physician in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, hailing from Qingpu, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai). He wrote more than a hundred novels on a wide range of subjects, including social fiction, martial arts tales, and historical reading, with representative works such as New China, New Shanghai, and The Ten-Tailed Turtle, the last noted for its social satire portraying the manners and life of the era. He also compiled several medical books, including A Compass for Medicine, contributing to the popularization of medicine and the organization of clinical experience. The library holds forty-five of his works, among them the Southern School Swordsmen series, showing that his writing spanned both popular entertainment and medical works, making him a prolific man of letters and physician in modern Shanghai.