Courtesan Women in Chinese History from 618 – 1279

Lindsey Lamph Larson
University of Utah
Published in Utah Historical Review, Vol III.

Courtesan women in China may be described by many names, names such as entertainers, artists, and in general alluring women with talent and sex appeal. My paper will seek to address the reasons why these women were known as such. It is said that the courtesan women first appeared during what we now refer to as the T’ang dynasty era from (618-907) and then continued into the Song dynasty era of (960-1279). T’ang and Song China and the courtesan women and men that performed during this era have been dubbed by historians to have taken part in a “golden” era in the arts.

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