Dream of the Red Chamber: The Broken Jade Sword - Part IV: The Sword of Yanling

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: "The Fall of the Red Chamber" is a historical novel by Gao Yang that blends artistic imagination with academic research, portraying the rise and fall of the Cao and Li families from their luxurious lives in noble households to their decline and eventual return to Beijing. As the author puts it, it tells the story of "Cao Xueqin" — how Cao Xueqin "spend ten years in hardship" creating Jia Baoyu and "Dream of the Red Chamber," which was the motivation behind Gao Yang's writing of this book. Regarding the long-standing debate over whether "Dream of the Red Chamber" is Cao Xueqin's autobiography, Gao Yang also presents his views in a subtle and indirect way through the novel. Insightful readers may compare and contrast the two, but remember Gao Yang's reminder — never approach "The Fall of the Red Chamber" with the same mindset and perspective as reading "Dream of the Red Chamber." This is the fourth book in the series. It narrates how Cao Xueqin, in the era of the Qing Dynasty, experienced the entire process of his family's confiscation and ruin, leaving a deep psychological scar of the family's rise and fall in his heart.