The Ten-Tailed Turtle (4)

Lu Shi'eJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 52K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Ten-Tailed Tortoise is a Qing-dynasty chapter-style vernacular novel of social manners written by the late Qing literatus Lu Shie, depicting stories of Shanghai in the final years of the Qing dynasty. It was completed in the third year of Xuantong (1911). Extant major editions include the Xinxin Xiaoshuo Society edition of the third year of Xuantong (1911) and the 1994 typeset edition in Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House's "Rare Ancient Chinese Novels Series."

The book narrates the flashy life of old Shanghai's foreign concessions: local landlords, foreign compradors, nouveau riches, returned students, shop owners, military and political officials, brokers, hangers-on, swindlers, young ladies, concubines… plunging all these people into a murky whirlpool, revealing the social phenomena of the early transition from closure to openness, which still seems relevant today.

Editor's review

This volume continues the plot of the earlier parts of Ten-Tailed Turtle, extending the chapter-by-chapter vernacular panorama of social life in late Qing Shanghai. Lu Shie's foreign concession is no mere curiosity cabinet: through the intersecting affairs of local rich men, foreign compradors, nouveaux riches, returned students, hangers-on, and swindlers, it presents the complex collision of old and new values, profit-seeking, and moral disorder during a period of social transformation. Compared with ordinary novels of exposure, Ten-Tailed Turtle excels in its vivid group portraits and dense scenes, weaving business, officialdom, and romance into an interlocking web; it offers both the bustle of a novel of manners and the documentary value of social history. As the latter part of the whole work, this volume gradually draws the characters' fates together and concentrates the conflicts, making it suitable for readers already interested in late Qing social fiction; as supplementary reading for the urban history of modern Shanghai or the study of popular literature, it also provides lively detail. Readers should note the narrator's satirical manner and the rhythm characteristic of newspaper serialization.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy late Qing chapter-style novels of manners and want to read Ten-Tailed Turtle systematically
Readers interested in late Qing Shanghai society and street-level characters
Readers studying modern popular fiction or urban culture who need textual detail
General readers who can accept the pace of old vernacular narrative and are willing to read group portraits slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced modern storytelling and have little patience for old chapter-style vernacular
Readers expecting a single protagonist's growth arc or a complete mystery plot
Readers who only want an outline of late Qing history and do not wish to read a literary text

Reading tips

Read the earlier volumes in the series or the beginning of the whole book first and clarify the character relationships before entering this volume, to avoid confusion among the many figures.
After each chapter, briefly note the characters who appear and their identities, so as to track the dealings among compradors, hangers-on, and officials.
Read the scenes alongside the social background of Shanghai after its opening as a treaty port, to better understand the real-world targets of the satire.
There is no need to finish it in one sitting; read in batches by chapter and allow time to absorb the language and the details of social life.

版权信息
第二十二回游张园擂台成虚话谈国货娇女逞机锋
第二十三回费太太宴客醉芳楼曹小姐走报恶消息
第二十四回骗珍饰征帆赴粤水报捕房侦探闹申江
第二十五回报恶声虔婆拒敲添棉袄嫖客多情
第二十六回费太太欣逢大王会梅心泉拳划满堂春
第二十七回康小姐醋海起风波单老爷鹑奔闹中冓
第二十八回留学生甘充十尾龟小大姐揭破销金窟

FAQ

Can I read this volume directly without having read the earlier volumes of Ten-Tailed Turtle?

Yes, but this is the latter part of a long chapter-style novel, and the characters and plot are closely tied to what comes before; starting here can make the group relationships confusing. It is advisable at least to learn the main characters' identities first, or to begin with earlier volumes in the series, before reading this one.

Is this a complete novel or one volume of a set?

Ten-Tailed Turtle is a long chapter-style novel of manners by Lu Shie, and this is one volume of it. Sources indicate the whole work was completed in the third year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing dynasty (1911) and that editions include the Xinxin Xiaoshuo Society print. It is best understood within the structure of the complete work.

Is the old vernacular in the book difficult to read?

The book is in late Qing vernacular chapter style; its language is easier than classical Chinese, but it includes old forms of address, trade jargon, and the background of Shanghai's foreign concessions, so it may feel unfamiliar at first. Slow down, proceed chapter by chapter, and look back when a character's identity is unclear; usually after a few chapters you will adapt.

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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.