The Erotic Massage

(Shi ba mo)

[Volume 1]



"The Erotic Massage" (also known as "Eighteen Touches") is a popular folksong found in many regions of China, with a melody and lyrics that are highly appealing to the general public. It has no storyline, but instead starts by describing hair, and goes on to depict intimate interaction between a pair of lovers. It describes parts of the human body in a frank yet literal way and, while many people are able to sing several stanzas, no one can recite the entire song. There are 29 stanzas with 84 lines in total, and each line has seven words.

The song was popular in earlier times and became a part of street culture. It was banned after 1949.