Dream of the Red Chamber (Twelve)

Author: Quan Yingsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
- Breaks away from the old-style face of traditional (manga) – adopts a visually striking multi-panel action manga format to establish a new classic image of Dream of the Red Chamber () manga – fully tailored to the reading needs of the new generation.
- Preserves the original essence – strictly follows the plot depiction of the first 80 chapters of Cao Xueqin's original work.
- Incorporates the achievements of modern and contemporary Red Studies – appropriately fills the gaps left by Gao E's subsequent 40 chapters.
- Took two years and invested millions – crafted a premium domestic manga book.
- Epic and meticulously crafted – the full 12 volumes encompass the 120 chapters of the standard edition.
- Simplifies the complex and reveals the hidden – the once enigmatic "Supernatural Realm of Great Void" () is vividly brought to life.
- Clearly reveals the three major plotlines of the original story – the causal illusions of the heavens and the mortal world, the tragic love between the male and female protagonists, and the rise and fall of the Jia family.
After Grandma Jia passed away, the Jia family was plunged into immense grief. Lady Feng, with her frail body, strove to arrange Grandma Jia's funeral, but due to financial constraints, her efforts were in vain, and she faced blame instead. The Jia family was already in turmoil, with a series of sudden changes: Miaoyu was kidnapped by bandits and her fate remained uncertain; Yuanyang committed suicide; Concubine Zhao suddenly fell ill and died in a bizarre manner; Lady Feng, realizing her own impending doom, entrusted Xiaojie to Lao Lao and passed away as well.
Bao Yu couldn’t bear the blow of these events and fell gravely ill once more. The mysterious bald monk reappeared and returned the "Spirit-Connecting Jade" (). Upon seeing it, Bao Yu instantly recovered to his former self. His soul followed the monk once again into the (). When he saw the fate scrolls of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling (), he suddenly grasped their meaning. Bao Yu had already seen through the illusions of the mortal world and no longer harbored his former infatuation, leaving everyone bewildered.
Every day, he read books about "transcending worldly solitude," and Bao Xiang still patiently advised him. Bao Yu no longer scoffed at the books as before and suddenly began studying them, preparing to take the imperial exam. Seeing this change, everyone was overjoyed. But in his heart, an idea had already taken root.
Sure enough, after the exam, Bao Yu suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace! The entire family was devastated until Jia Zheng received a letter, which revealed that the stone beneath Qinggang Peak had now merged into a divine form, and the inscriptions on the stone forest recorded its journey of reincarnation.
Finally, one day, a Hollow Taoist discovered this stone and copied down the Dream of the Red Chamber (), bringing it into the mortal world. With Cao Xueqin’s brush, it was passed down for eternity.