We had the wine boat anchor in the middle of the river and happily drank away until several strokes of the night watch had sounded. By then I had begun to fear I could not control myself and so had firmly resolved to return to our rooms, but my friends told me the city gates had already been locked for the night. This is because the gates of all sea frontier cities are locked as soon as the sun sets, but I had not known this before.
By the time we had finished dinner, some of us were lying down smoking opium while others were hugging the girls and making jokes. The servants then began bringing in quilts and pillows, as if to make a common bed for us all.
Shen Fu, “The Delights of Roaming Afar” (Six Records of a Floating Life)
