Zhī Yànzhāi Chóng Píng Shítou Jì Gēngchén Gēběn - (Full 4 Volumes)

Author: Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: "A wild tale of absurdity, a handful of bitter tears! Though all say the author is mad, who can fathom the depth of his heart?" The well-known Dream of the Red Chamber is a work that embodies Cao Xueqin's life's dedication. The novel, with the tragic love story of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu as its main thread, weaves together the rise and fall of the four great families—Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue. With its vivid characters and poignant love, it is a timeless masterpiece that can never be fully read or discussed. The edition of this book is based on one of the eleven extant ancient manuscripts of Dream of the Red Chamber, which is the most complete and authentic preservation of the author's final version. It allows readers to appreciate the true style of the author's original manuscript and directly enjoy over 2,100 precious annotations left by the author's "red-haired confidante," Shi Yanzai, on the Gengchen manuscript. This book holds unique artistic appreciation value, academic research value, and version preservation value.
Editor: Deng Suifu
This is the first edition published domestically and internationally that comprehensively reflects the original appearance of the Gengchen manuscript of Dream of the Red Chamber (including its Shi annotations). The manuscript used for this edition is one of the eleven extant ancient manuscripts of Dream of the Red Chamber, the most complete and authentic preservation of the author's final version. It was discovered and collected by Mr. Xu Xingshu in Beijing's Longfu Temple in 1932 and later donated to the Library of Yanjing University, now housed in the Library of Peking University. This manuscript is considered a peer to the Jiaxu manuscript (a fragment) discovered and collected by Mr. Hu Shi in 1927—it is a national treasure in terms of cultural relics and documents. The edition is based on three photocopied versions published by Literary Ancient Books Publishing in 1955 and by People's Literature Publishing House in 1965 and 1993, with key verifications against the original manuscript. It also includes relevant materials from the original manuscript and photocopied versions. The greatest difference between this edition and previously published common printed versions of Dream of the Red Chamber is that it strictly adheres to the original appearance of the author's final version. It not only allows readers to appreciate the true style of the author's original manuscript but also directly enjoy over 2,100 precious annotations left by the author's "red-haired confidante," Shi Yanzai, on the Gengchen manuscript (most of which differ from the annotations in the previously published Jiaxu edition). This book holds unique artistic appreciation value, academic research value, and version preservation value. The editing of this book represents a significant breakthrough in clarifying the authentic text of Dream of the Red Chamber (including Shi annotations) and is worthy of attention from all sectors of society.