胡姬貌如花

(This was originally intended as a response to Jimmy and Lei's comment. But I figure given its apparent length, I may as well post it.)

A just question, Jimmy. Lei, come on, give the man a break. I take Jimmy , like me, only interests in Hu Ji on a intellectual level. (As it is, so far all of my romantic encounters are confined strictly on the page.) Not that it's completely devoid of suspicion, since 胡姬酒肆 is quite literally what we refer to now-a-days as 酒家. Although it should be stressed that the primary functon of these establishments is to sell wine. 胡姬 refers to those women working in parlors, salons, and bars in the city of 長安, during the golden age of Tang Dynasty. Broadly speaking, they were not Chinese in the sense that they weren't of Han origin. "Hu" refers to the region of central Asia, near present-day Tokmak and Kyrgyzstan (Li Bai, it's proposed by many Libai scholars, was probably borned in this region.) 長安 at the time was perhaps the most international city in the world. Students, merchants, monks, and travelers from Japan, middle east, India, central Europe and various places mingled freely in the city. So it's safe to say these 胡姬 probably look more like Russians that Chinese, which helps to explain their apparent popularity among the gentry class.

To wrap up, here's another poem by Li Bai about 胡姬. To read Li Bai is to experience his dashing personality at first hand. After more than a thousand and 200 years, it still feels as lively as ever:

"琴奏龍門之綠桐 , 玉壺美酒清若空 . 催弦拂柱與君飲 , 看朱成碧顏始紅 . 胡姬貌如花 , 當壚笑春風 . 笑春風 , 舞羅衣 , 君今不醉將安歸 ? "