New Exploration of the Story of the Red Chamber in Tumuerhe

Author: Tu Mo Re
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Before her death, Liu Shi was undoubtedly the "Poetic Soul" and "Floral Queen." Whether in the early "Wood and Stone Alliance" or the later "Golden and Jade Union," Chen Zilong and Qian Qianyi's poems all described her as "Hibiscus," praising her. Therefore, Lin Yining's Hibiscus Gorge, is most likely a legendary play created with the heroic woman Liu Shi as its prototype. Liu Shi's life could indeed be called that of a heroic courtesan. She once donated her lifelong accumulated "treasure chest" to the cause of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming. She also personally went to the army to comfort the "lady soldiers" to reward Zhang Mingzhen's naval forces.
Liu Shi's final fate was tragic. Her lover Chen Zilong died young while resisting the Qing. Her husband Qian Qianyi, in his later years, became impoverished due to his involvement in the anti-Qing and Ming restoration movement. After her husband's death, her family immediately faced a "family tragedy." To protect her children and follow her lover and husband, Liu Shi resolutely hanged herself in the main hall of Qian's family, the "Rongmu Hall," at the age of only forty-seven.
When discussing Liu Shi's tragic death, one cannot help but think of the "Eulogy for Hibiscus" in Dream of the Red Chamber. Academics in the field of Red Studies agree that this eulogy explicitly praises Qingwen and implicitly praises Daiyu. In reality, the author was truly eulogizing Liu Shi, the "Hibiscus Gorge Woman"! The "Eulogy for Hibiscus" states: "In her essence, she was beyond compare to gold and jade in her worth; in her nature, she was beyond compare to ice and snow in her purity; in her spirit, she was beyond compare to the stars and sun in her brilliance; in her appearance, she was beyond compare to flowers and the moon in her beauty." These comparisons were the poet's evaluation of Liu Shi after her death.
"Flowers are naturally delicate, how could they endure the fierce gales? The willows are inherently sorrowful, how could they withstand sudden rain?" "The slander and scorn came from the screens and curtains, the thorns and brambles spread through the doors and windows. It was not that she provoked blame, but that she endured the slander to the end." "Her lofty demeanor drew envy, her sorrow in the inner chambers was as great as that of Jia Yi, the Grand Tutor of Changsha; her righteous spirit faced danger, her suffering as a woman was even greater than that of Yu Ye." "Thus, the demons of the underworld brought calamity—how could the spirits also be envious? To gag the mouths of the slaves, how could leniency be shown? To