The title of the book "Jin Ping Mei" is a combination of one character from the names of the three heroines Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er and Pang Chunmei. The theme of the novel evolved from the scene in "Water Margin" in which Wu Song kills his sister-in-law. Through the description of Ximen Qing, a representative of the philistine forces who is a bureaucrat, a bully, and a wealthy businessman, and his family's sinful life, it reproduces the aspects of social life at that time. The story depicts a ghostly world consisting of the imperial master who wields power and dictatorship, down to the local bureaucrats and bullies, and even the ruffians, hooligans, and gangsters in the city. It reveals the darkness and corruption of the society in the mid-Ming Dynasty, and has profound cognitive value.
