The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran

wouldn’t you, but give him the chance and he’ll reject the old to marry the new. The reason he’s bound to give is that his wife is no good. In the eyes of men who keep mistresses, there are still fewer good women. Those men simply see women as playthings. They despise their mistresses, or else they would have married them long ago.’
    Jin Shuai paused, and grew solemn. ‘Do you know what sort of woman men want?’
    ‘I’m not an expert,’ I replied truthfully.
    Jin Shuai spoke with an air of authority. ‘Men want a woman who is a virtuous wife, a good mother, and can do all the housework like a maid. Outside the home, she should be attractive and cultivated, and be a credit to him. In bed, she must be a nymphomaniac. What is more, Chinese men also need their women to manage their finances and earn a lot of money, so they can mingle with the rich and powerful. Modern Chinese men sigh over the abolition of polygamy. That old man Gu Hongming at the end of the Qing dynasty said that ‘one man is best suited to four women, as a teapot is best suited to four cups’. And modern Chinese men want another cup to fill with money too.
    ‘So tell me, how many Chinese women can fulfil all these requirements? All women are bad by these standards.’
    Two men at the table next to us turned to look at Jin Shuai from time to time. She continued undaunted.
    ‘Have you heard the saying “Other people’s wives are always better, but your own children are always best”?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said, relieved that I could finally claim to know something.
    She mused, ‘I once read a book about love where it said: “A hungry lion will eat a rabbit if there is nothing better, but once he has trampled the rabbit, he will abandon it to chase a zebra . . .” The tragic thing is that so many women accept men’s judgement of them as “bad women”.’
    Feeling that Jin Shuai counted me among these women, I coloured slightly. She did not notice.
    ‘Xinran, do you know that it is the really bad women who are the lucky ones? I believe the saying “Money makes men bad; badness makes women money.” Don’t think that we’re all poor students here. Many of us young women live in style without a penny from our parents. Some girls couldn’t even afford to eat meat in the canteen when they first came to university, but now they wear cashmere and jewels. They take taxis everywhere and stay in hotels. Don’t get me wrong though, these girls aren’t necessarily selling their bodies.’
    Jin Shuai could see that I looked shocked and continued, smiling.
    ‘Today, rich men are becoming more exacting in their requirements for female company. They want to parade a “personal secretary” or “escort” with learning. With China’s current shortage of talent, where can so many “personal secretaries” be found, apart from in the universities? A woman with no certificates will only be able to attract some small businessman; the better educated you are, the more you have the chance to hook a big entrepreneur. A ‘personal secretary’ works for just one man, an “escort” works for many. There are three levels of companionship. The first level involves accompanying men to restaurants, nightclubs and karaoke bars. The second level takes it further to include accompanying them to other events such as the theatre, cinema and so on; we call this “selling art not self”. Of course, letting those men fumble with your clothes is part of the deal. The third level involves being at a man’s beck and call night and day, also for sex. If you’re this sort of “personal secretary” you don’t sleep in the university dormitory, except in the unlikely event of your boss going home. Even then, the man mostly lets you stay on in the hotel room he has rented, to make it easier for him to find you when he returns. As a “personal secretary” all your meals, clothes, lodging and travel are taken care of. Nobody dares to cross you when you’re so