The Precious Mirror of Flower Appreciation is a long vernacular courtesan novel written by Chen Sen in the Qing Dynasty. It is also known as The History of Enjoying Sentiments, The Precious Mirror of Flowers in the Capital, New Tales of the City, and Records of Flower Appreciation in Yanjing, with a total of sixty chapters. It was completed in 1837, the 17th year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty. The author regards the actors as beautiful women and the playboys as talented scholars, depicting their affectionate and lingering relationships. The novel takes the spiritual and passionate love between the young master Mei Ziyu and the male actor Du Qinyan as the central thread, portraying two types of people: those who are "righteous in love" like Mei and Du, and those who are "licentious in love" such as merchants, common people, and playboys, with the intention of providing moral lessons. However, the so - called "righteous in love" actually reflects a kind of morbid life. This book actually sets the precedent for modern xiaxie novels.