Memoirs of a Courtesan
Mingmei Yip
Avon
HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2014
Copyright © Mingmei Yip 2012
Cover images ©Shutterstock 2014
Mingmei Yip asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Source ISBN: 9780007570140
Ebook Edition © October 2014 ISBN: 9780007570157
Version: 2014-09-23
To Geoffrey, who makes the whole world beautiful
Never give up working to defeat your enemy. Master his fate. Exploit his unpreparedness and attack him when he is unaware.
—Art of War, Sunzi (ca. 544–496 BC)
Stir the water to catch the fish – benefit by creating chaos
—Thirty-Six Stratagems, collection of popular ancient Chinese proverbs on outwitting your enemies. First mentioned in Southern Qi dynasties (AD 847–537)
So long as my body is still here, so will be my love for you.
—Li Shangyin (ca AD 813–858), Tang dynasty poet
Contents
1. The Naked Girl Jumping Towards Eternity
10. Manchurian Han Banquet and a Private Magic Show
11. The Bund and the Amusement Park
13. An Invitation to a Private Show
20. Opera House and a Deadly Thought