Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Dream of the Red Chamber, also known as The Story of the Stone, holds a position and profound influence in the history of Chinese literature and art. It stands as a pinnacle of classical Chinese novels. Dream of the Red Chamber depicts the tragic love and marriage of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai. One is the "wooden and stone alliance," childhood sweethearts with shared aspirations; the other is the "golden jade match," bound by the unalterable decree of "parents' command and matchmakers' words." The story ends with Lin Daiyu's death and Jia Baoyu's ordination as a monk. The language of the work is vivid, concise, elegant, and refined. The plot is rich and profound, natural and realistic. The numerous characters are intricately connected yet mutually causal. It is perfectly organic, with no trace of artificiality, presenting multi-faceted and multi-layered characteristics that allow different readers to derive different feelings. The novel was written in the mid-18th century during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. The author, Cao Xueqin (c. 1715–c. 1763), was also known as Zhan, styled Mengruan, and styled Xueqin. His family held the hereditary position of Jiangning Textile Manufacturer for three generations, enjoying great wealth and prominence. Later, they were disgraced and stripped of their posts, marking the beginning of their decline. Cao Xueqin's life was filled with hardship and poverty, and he left this world prematurely due to poverty and illness before completing this extraordinary masterpiece. The last forty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber were supplemented by Gao E (1738–1815).