Literary Talent and Style: Cao Xueqin

Author: Zhou Ruchang Zhou Lunling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features:
Literary Elegance – The literary language created by the Poet Sage Du Shaouling.
Literary Elegance – A characteristic of Chinese culture.
Literary Elegance – The radiance of literary and artistic style.
Literary Elegance – The dignified and spirited aura of cultural figures.
Literary Elegance – The expression and embodiment of Chinese culture.
Literary Elegance – "The land is like a painting, and the people are even more elegant," representing a realm of unity between heaven and humanity.
Literary Elegance – The cultivation and attainment of Chinese culture.
Literary Elegance – The original meaning of Chinese characters, where five colors form patterns and five tones create verses.
The essence flows, the spirit shines, the conversation is lively, the mind is open, as if drinking fine wine, effortlessly yet deeply moved—this is what is called elegance.
The twelve chapters of the main text of Literary Elegance and Cao Xueqin, along with Ode to Cao Xueqin, Preface, Prologue, and Appendix, outline a clear and vivid profile of Cao Xueqin's family background and life from faint clues. However, what is more important is the soul that permeates these "tales"—the soul of Cao Xueqin, the soul of Dream of the Red Chamber, and the soul of the "Garden of Splendor" in Chinese culture.
It is particularly significant and fascinating that Cao Xueqin embodies the many complex elements of Chinese culture, not only those of Han culture but also those of ethnic minority cultures.