An unpowdered complexion pale as any woman’s, / Unrouged lips rosy as any maiden’s. / Eyebrows so long as to meet his eyes, / A form so delicate as hardly to bear his clothes. / A jet- black crepe- silk cap he had, / Matching his face like a crown of jade. / Bright red tapestry- silk shoes he wore, / And stepped as lightly as if walking on clouds.
—Li Yu (1610–1680), The Carnal Prayer Mat, translated by Patrick Hanan, 1990.