First of all, we must clarify two concepts, brothel and Hiram's Hospital. Brothels are different from buying and selling bodies. Unlike the brothel in the stereotype, the brothel is actually a very elegant place. Brothel culture is an integral part of China traditional culture. For example, in the Song Dynasty, Yan's "Liu Lou Xin dances low and the peach blossom fan sings at the bottom" is the representative of brothel culture. ?
Brothel originally refers to beautifully shaped houses, and also refers to Plutocratic family. Only after the Song and Yuan Dynasties did it mainly refer to fireworks places. But even the places where fireworks are set off are divided into three or six grades, and the brothel is the most upscale place to set off fireworks. On the other hand, Gong Yuan refers to the place where ancient scholars took the imperial examinations. Because it selected talents for the emperor, it was called Gong Yuan.
Different from other places mainly engaged in the sale of flesh and blood, the services provided by brothels are mainly women's talent display, and many women do not sell their bodies, but only their talents. For example, geisha and Maiko are different from traditional "prostitutes". This kind of woman who busks and doesn't sell herself is called "Qing Xianer", and the one who busks and sells herself is called "Hong Xianer". Inside the brothel, it is still dominated by "Qing Er".
The main customer base of brothel is scholars. For literati, brothel is an indispensable "spiritual harbor", where you can find a gentle woman who can sing with yourself ideologically and realize your dream of "adding fragrance to tea". These are not available to aristocratic ladies who uphold the traditional thought that "women without talent are virtue". Ancient literati regarded going to the brothel as an "elegant thing". They went there to write poems and cultivate their sentiments, perhaps to get together with friends.
The ancients often gathered people to go to brothels, where they could make friends, expand their interpersonal circle and give themselves a stage to display their talents. The higher pursuit is to find true love and spiritual sustenance. Compared with these needs, physiological needs become the least important and lowest pursuit.
Therefore, in order to attract more literati, brothels will choose to open near Gongyuan. Candidates can come to the brothel to relax before the exam, and after the exam, they can come to the brothel to solve the worries of failing the exam. In short, as long as there are customers, they can bring a steady stream of income to operators. ?