Two Worlds of the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Yu Yingshi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Dream of the Red Chamber itself possesses two worlds, and the study of Dream of the Red Chamber also exists in two worlds: one is the historical world experienced by Cao Xueqin, and the other is the artistic world he. The former has always been the object of Dream of the Red Chamber textual research, while the latter is the focus of this book. This collection of eight essays by the renowned American scholar Professor Yu Yingshi on The Dream of the Red Chamber is meticulous in textual research and vivid in argumentation, offering significant guidance for understanding the artistic characteristics of The Dream of the Red Chamber and tracing the intellectual trajectory of Cao Xueqin. The book takes one of the essays, The Two Worlds of the Red Chamber, as its title, which carries a dual meaning. First, the "theory of the two worlds" serves as the central thesis of the book, with other essays revolving around this core idea. Second, as I have pointed out, not only does The Dream of the Red Chamber itself contain two worlds, but the study of Dream of the Red Chamber also exists in two worlds: one is the historical world experienced by Cao Xueqin, and the other is the artistic world he. The former has always been the object of Dream of the Red Chamber textual research, while the latter is the focus of this book. The two worlds in The Dream of the Red Chamber are inseparable, and the two worlds in the study of Dream of the Red Chamber are equally indistinguishable. Therefore, several essays in this book discuss Cao Xueqin's life and the so-called "Zhi critiques," which fall within the realm of traditional Dream of the Red Chamber textual research. Cao Xueqin created two vivid and contrasting worlds in The Dream of the Red Chamber. These two worlds, in my opinion, can be called the "Utopian world" and the "real world." In the context of The Dream of the Red Chamber, these two worlds are the world of Grand View Garden and the world beyond Grand View Garden. The author has used various symbols to reveal the differences between these two worlds. For example, "purity" and "impurity," "affection" and "lechery," "false" and "true," as well as the reverse and front sides of the Wind and Moon Mirror. We can say that these two worlds form a major thread the entire book. Grasping this thread is equivalent to capturing the central meaning of the author's creative intentions. Of course, since the two worlds created by Cao Xueqin are so distinct and their contrast so intense, readers have always, to some extent, either deeply or superficially been aware of their existence. However, in the past 50 years, the study of The Dream of the Red Chamber has been largely a historical study. Most Dream of the Red Chamber scholars are also historians; or even if they are not historians, their work remains historical. Naturally, historians' interests are concentrated on the real world of The Dream of the Red Chamber. They have largely ignored the ideal world—the built by the author through his "ten years of hard work" in The Dream of the Red Chamber. On the contrary, their main work has been to dismantle this and reduce it to the bricks and mortar of the real world. Under the dominance of the "autobiographical theory," this reduction has further shifted from the real world of the novel to the real world in which the author lived. Therefore, the so-called "Dream of the Red Chamber" study in the past half-century has actually been "Cao studies," the study of Cao Xueqin and his family. Replacing Dream of the Red Chamber study with Cao studies comes at a cost. One of the greatest costs, in my view, is the blurring of the boundaries between the two worlds in The Dream of the Red Chamber. Between 1961 and 1963, red scholars on the mainland fervently searched for "where is the Grand View Garden in Beijing." This can be considered the peak of the historical work. This gave the impression that Cao Xueqin's Grand View Garden was originally part of the human world, a part of the real world. The ideal world in The Dream of the Red Chamber was canceled, just as the author said, "the white land is truly clean!" However, in the past few decades, not everyone has paid special attention to the ideal world in The Dream of the Red Chamber. As early as 1953 or 1954, Yu Pingbo emphasized the idealistic elements of Grand View Garden. In terms of imaginative realm, Grand View Garden can be a. He also explained, based on the poem "Heaven and Earth Are Complete" by Jia Yuanchun in the 18th chapter, that Grand View Garden was merely a mirage paradise painted and imagined by the author. Yu Pingbo's theory holds the significance of a "paradigm" (Paradism) in the history of Dream of the Red Chamber studies. Unfortunately, the environment he was in prevented him from fully developing this revolutionary new perspective. In 1972, So Chih published On Grand View Garden, which can be considered a serious discussion of the ideal world in The Dream of the Red Chamber. He emphasized that Grand View Garden did not exist in the real world but was a by the author to fulfill his creative intentions. So Chih further stated: Grand View Garden is a garden that isolates the daughters from the outside world, hoping that they can live carefree lives inside, free from the corrupting influence of men. Good daughters should always remain young and never marry. In this sense, Grand View Garden can be seen as a fortress protecting the daughters, existing only in the ideal and lacking any real foundation. These remarks are both practical and insightful, and I would like to use this passage as the starting point for my discussion of the two worlds in The Dream of the Red Chamber. Regarding the internal logic of the development of Dream of the Red Chamber studies over the past 50 years and the possible revolutionary changes, I have already provided a preliminary review in my article The Development and Revolution of Modern Dream of the Red Chamber Studies—An Analysis of the Academic History. Therefore, detailed arguments and evidence will be omitted here. Saying that Grand View Garden is an ideal world by Cao Xueqin inevitably raises an important question for readers: If Grand View Garden is a "heaven where common mortals are not allowed to enter," then what position should the "Supreme Void Illusory Realm" created by the author in the fifth chapter of the overall outline of the book occupy in the entire Dream of the Red Chamber? Of course, we can say that the "Supreme Void Illusory Realm" is a dream within a dream, an illusion within an illusion. But if so, should we not say that there are three worlds in The Dream of the Red Chamber? The Gengchen edition of the Zhi critiques contains a passage: "Grand View Garden is the Supreme Void Illusory Realm of Wang Jian and the Twelve Beauties—how can it be taken lightly?" Here, the character "Xuan" in "Xuan Realm" is actually a typo for "Huan," as several other characters in this passage are also written incorrectly. Therefore, according to the perspective of Zhi Yanzhai, Grand View Garden is the earthly projection of the Supreme Void Illusory Realm. These two worlds were originally overlapping. We still do not know who Zhi Yanzhai was, but he had a close relationship with the author and understood his creative intentions quite well, which is not an issue. Although we should not rely too heavily on the Zhi critiques, under sufficient internal evidence, they are still strong supporting evidence. Let us now look at the direct evidence within the text of The Dream of the Red Chamber. In the fifth chapter, Baoyu follows Qin Keqing to a place where he sees red railings, white stones, green trees, and clear streams—truly a place rarely visited by humans and untouched by dust. Baoyu is delighted in his dream and thinks, "This place is interesting. I would like to spend my life here, even if I lose my home, I am willing." This place is actually the later Grand View Garden. How can this be proven? In terms of scenery, in the 17th chapter, Baoyu follows Jia Zheng into Grand View Garden and reaches the Qin Fang Pavilion area, where the description in the book perfectly matches the eight-character phrase "red railings, white stones, green trees, and clear streams." In terms of mood, we should remember that in the 23rd chapter, when Baoyu first moves into Grand View Garden, the author writes: "Let us say that Baoyu has entered the garden and is content, with no other desires." A careful reader, by comparing the text before and after, can easily see the relationship between the Supreme Void Illusory Realm and Grand View Garden. If this evidence still seems a bit convoluted, let me provide another more direct and clear piece of evidence to strengthen the reader's belief. The story still comes from the 17th chapter, where Baoyu and Jia Zheng and their entourage leave Hongwu Garden and arrive before a stone archway. "Jia Zheng asks, 'What inscription should be placed here?' The others reply, 'It must be "Penglai Fairyland" to be perfect.'" Jia Zheng shakes his head and says nothing. Baoyu sees this place and is suddenly moved, thinking it resembles somewhere he has seen before, though he cannot recall the exact time or date. Jia Zheng then asks him to compose a poem, but Baoyu is too lost in thought about the scenery to focus on this. Jia Zheng adds, "This is a crucial place, and it must be done well." Where has Baoyu seen a stone archway before? Baoyu himself may have forgotten, but readers will certainly remember that in the 54th chapter, when Baoyu dreams of the Supreme Void Illusory Realm, "he follows the immortal maid to a place where a stone archway crosses, inscribed with the four characters 'Supreme Void Illusory Realm.'" The place Baoyu is searching for in his memory is clearly this very place. Therefore, Zhi Yanzhai reminds readers here: "It still returns to the dream of the Supreme Void Illusory Realm." Jia Zheng says, "This is a crucial place." Yes, is there anything more important than the Supreme Void Illusory Realm in The Dream of the Red Chamber? Afterward, Baoyu this archway, inscribing the four characters "Heavenly Fairy Mirror." This is the very archway that later Liu Laolao as the "Palace of the Jade Emperor" and bows to it repeatedly. In summary, whether it is "Penglai Fairyland," "Heavenly Fairy Mirror," or the "Palace of the Jade Emperor," the author repeatedly reminds us that Grand View Garden is not in the human world but in the heavens. It is not reality but ideal. More accurately, Grand View Garden is the Supreme Void Illusory Realm. Since Grand View Garden is the Supreme Void Illusory Realm for Baoyu and a group of girls, its construction in the real world must be justified by a grand occasion such as Jia Yuanchun's inspection visit. In the 16th chapter of the Gengchen edition, there is a marginal note by Ji He: "Using the inspection visit as the theme for Grand View Garden is a crucial matter, showing the author's skill in writing." The author's painstaking efforts extend beyond this. The opening narrative of the 17th chapter is worth careful reflection. After the garden's construction is completed, Jia Zhen invites Jia Zheng to inspect it and see if any changes are needed, adding that Jia She has already visited. This seems to imply that Jia She is a person who enters the garden. In fact, this passage is deliberately misleading the reader. Later, it is mentioned that "recently, Baoyu, missing Qin Zhong and feeling sorrowful, was often taken by Grandma to the garden for play." Immediately following this, Baoyu avoids meeting Jia Zheng but is forced to enter the garden again to compose couplets for the archways. The latter half of this narrative at least implies two layers of deep meaning: 1. Baoyu is the first to enter Grand View Garden to admire its scenery. Jia She, Jia Zheng, and others only enter after the garden is completed, while Baoyu has visited many times before. 2. Since Grand View Garden is the Utopia and of Baoyu and the sisters, the pavilions, towers, and the like in the garden naturally must be named by them. This fairyland of Grand View Garden, which is "forbidden to common mortals," can never allow outsiders to pollute it. Therefore, the overall comment on the 17th chapter of the Gengchen edition states: "Baoyu is the crown of the beautiful women, so the paired inscriptions of Grand View Garden must be composed by Yu Kun." The same edition also contains a marginal note: "It is better to do this by chance; if specially summoned to compose the inscriptions, it would be truly awkward." These places, the Zhi critiques, can help readers understand the author's original intentions. The scarcity of idle strokes in The Dream of the Red Chamber sometimes requires us to use the Zhi critiques to appreciate the deeper meaning. P34-37