Dream of the Red Chamber: A True Story

Author: Zhou Ruchang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book is quite special. How can a title be chosen to reflect its nature and genre? Without hesitation, the first thing that came to my mind was seven characters: "The True Story of the Dream of the Red Chamber." My daughter and assistant were not very supportive. Why? I didn't ask, but I reflected on it myself and felt that the title was too long and wordy; second, the word was too rigid and lacked flexibility, making it dull. For example, just take the word "true" alone—it would invite doubts: Can your "story" guarantee to be "true"? This would require a lot of explanation. I then thought of changing it to "Seeking the Dream of the Red Chamber" with four characters, but it was finally named "The True Dream of the Red Chamber." Although this "true" word can still be debated, my original intention was indeed in this word: "true," from beginning to end, it has always been my highest pursuit. If the title were "seeking the dream," then what "dream" would be "sought"? Not anything else, but still the pursuit of the truth of Cao Xueqin's original work, that is, its original purpose and basic spirit.——Zhou Ruchang