Biography of Redology Master Zhou Ruchang: People in the Storms of the Red Chamber Dream

Author: Liang Guizhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: This is a biography of the renowned Red Study expert, Professor Liang Guizhi, written over a span of three years for the distinguished Red Study scholar, Professor Zhou Ruchang. Professor Zhou Ruchang, a celebrated scholar in China, represents the bridge between old and new Red Study. He was a prominent classical literature scholar, calligrapher, and poet. During his studies at the Department of Foreign Languages, Peking University, he published an academic paper on Dream of the Red Chamber, which caught the attention of the great scholar Hu Shi, forging a rare and meaningful bond in the field of Red Study. Zhou Ruchang's New Evidence for the Red Chamber was published in 1953 and was hailed as an "epoch-making work in Red Study." He was specially recalled to Beijing for work. Despite enduring several waves of criticism in Red Study over the years, he remained steadfast in his academic convictions. After the Cultural Revolution, he published over a dozen Red Study (monographs), covering all aspects of the field, drawing attention from academic circles both at home and abroad. This book centers on Zhou Ruchang's research on Dream of the Red Chamber, documenting the subject's life, scholarly works, and significant interactions. Written from the perspective of a Red Study expert, the book outlines the eighty-plus years of Professor Zhou's life, reflecting the fate of a generation of scholars and showcasing the tumultuous history of Red Study over the past century. The book emphasizes revealing the inner cultural spirit of Professor Zhou Ruchang—a scholar who dedicated his life to embodying traditional Chinese poetry, literary theory, calligraphy, Zen Buddhism, theater, folklore, and showcasing the essence of Chinese culture. The book centers on Zhou Ruchang's research on Dream of the Red Chamber, documenting the subject's life, scholarly works, and significant interactions.