Over the National Day Holiday, Seth, Zoe and I went to Macau for a day. We originally planned to go to Disneyland, but there was a mix-up with Zoe’s visa and she ended up with one for Macau (“Hong Kong is China” my ass if Chinese citizens need a visa to go there). But we had never been there before, and everyone says you have to go at least once, so we figured, sure, might as well check it out.
Long story short, the trip wasn’t that great. The city is expensive, a tourist trap, and nauseatingly fake. I’m sure if I had more time to explore “off the beaten track” it might not be so bad, but if you go just to “hit the high notes” (casinos and historical sites), it’s pretty disappointing.
The main thing I enjoyed was that we happened to stumble into the antique district. Most of the shops were closed because it was holiday, but I did come across one gem, the erotic picture to the left.
Erotic art in China is nothing new, enjoying a long tradition here. You can find erotic art, not just in antique shops, but in most gift shops as well. But this one caught my eye for two reasons:
1) The lady in the picture has bound feet. I think bound feet are one of the most interesting (and terrible) things about Chinese history, especially the way bound feet permeated every aspect of Chinese life, even art. Bound feet were also fetishized by Chinese men, so it is no wonder that an erotic Chinese image would feature a woman with bound feet. Also, Chinese women with bound feet could barely walk, so it must have been difficult for the woman in the picture to stand there while the man does her from behind. No wonder she needs to rely on the support from her lady to remain standing. Which brings me to point number two…
2) I found the poor lady-in-waiting having to hold her mistress’ dress while the two have sex really funny. I’m going to have to work that detail into one of my sexy short stories!
So what about you? Have you ever found any treasures in a Chinese antique shop?