Dream of the Red Chamber: A Journey for Middle School Students to Read Classical Chinese Literature

Author: Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: 0 The Dream of the Red Chamber was created by Cao Xueqin while he lived in poverty in the Western Hills. It had had names such as The Precious Mirror of Wind and Moon, The Twelve Beauties of Jinling, The Record of the Sentimental Monk, and The Story of the Stone. Cao Xueqin only completed the first eighty chapters during his lifetime. Some fragments of the eighty chapters may contain clues about the entire book and were lost during circulation among his friends. Later, Gao E continued to write the last forty chapters. The Dream of the Red Chamber as a whole adopts a network-like artistic structure, weaving various events and the activities of characters into a vast and complex artistic environment. Everyday life events and major events are naturally interwoven, encompassing an immense and broad social and historical content. From political struggles and family disputes to daily routines, from poetry and songs to chess and calligraphy, from clothing and utensils to medicine, wine, sugar, and tea, there are detailed and precise descriptions, vividly presenting a panoramic view of the customs and realities of feudal society.