The Secret of Dream of the Red Chamber -- Hidden History of the Qing Court

Author: Su Bangsen, Su Haiying
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: A "Dream of the Red Chamber" (also known as "The Story of the Stone"), which has been the subject of much debate with no definitive conclusion. The authors examined the geographical layout of Ning and Rong Mansions and the routes of the characters in the novel, concluding that the setting of the story is the Qing imperial palace and inner courtyard during the reigns of the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors. They further substantiated this with historical facts, identifying the novel as a veiled account of Qing court history—the "Jade Tablet of Spiritual Communication" being the imperial seal of the nation. The "Wildland Rubble Stone" (the original seal) alludes to Empress Xiaozhuang as the bloodline heir of the Yuan Emperor. The "Jade Tablet of Spiritual Communication" (the Qing Seal) alludes to Empress Xiaozhuang as the wife of Emperor Taizong of the Qing. The Yongzheng Emperor, as the divine envoy of the "Void of Emptiness" (the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Winter Palace in the Beihai Lake), represents the Qing dynasty after its conquest of the Central Plains. The Crimson Pearl Grass alludes to the revolutionary women in the Yongzheng Emperor's harem, with Dong E's Imperial Noble Consort, who died young at the age of 22, as their leader. "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling" in the main register allude to seven women in the Yongzheng Emperor's harem:
1. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (Yuanchun, Qin Keqing, Wang Xifeng).
2. The deposed Empress Jingfei (Xue Baochai).
3. The posthumously honored Empress Xiaoxian Duanjing (Lin Daiyu).
4. The daughter of Dorgon and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (Tanchun and Qiaojie).
5. The daughter of Kong Youde and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's adopted daughter Kong Sizhen (Shi Xiangyun, Miaoyu, and Xichun).
6. The fourteenth daughter of Emperor Taizong (Yingchun).
7. Kangfei Tongjia (Li Yun), the mother of Emperor Kangxi.
"The bones stand like mountains, forgetting names. None are but nobles and beauties"—this is a concise summary of the profound meaning of "The Story of the Stone." "The Story of the Stone" represents two peaks of Chinese civilization in both literature and history over five thousand years. In terms of literary art, it broke the mold of romantic tales of scholars and beauties living happily ever after, depicting the tragedy of human nature and love's destruction, and proposing the humanistic ideals of equality and freedom of love. In the realm of history, it surpassed the historical records of the Spring and Autumn period, faithfully documenting the 50 years of the Ming dynasty's fall and the Qing dynasty's rise, reflecting the struggles and integration of the Manchu, Mongol, and Han peoples, as well as their conflicts and tolerance. It advocates turning swords into plowshares, national unity, and ethnic solidarity. It resolved the long-standing question of how China's multi-ethnic society could coexist, proposing the lofty ideals of national peace (Ningguo) and ethnic prosperity (Rongguo). While the authors' thoughts did not reach the revolutionary height of completely overthrowing feudalism, they proposed a constitutional monarchy in politics and a contract-based collective farming system (the Great Garden Reform) in economics. Zhen Shiyin alludes to the truth hidden in plain sight, while Jia Yucun alludes to the false words preserved in the novel. In terms of history and fiction, Zhen Shiyin alludes to the truth hidden in plain sight, while Jia Yucun alludes to the false ignorance preserved in the novel. In terms of imperial bloodlines, Zhen Shiyin alludes to the truth hidden in the stone, while Jia Yucun alludes to the false jade preserved in the novel. These aspects are summarized as—"When false appears as true, true also appears as false; where nothing exists, something appears; where something exists, nothing appears." The ending of "The Story of the Stone" is—"When false departs and true arrives, true surpasses false; where nothing originally existed, something arises; where something originally existed, nothing arises." This represents the true ideals and dreams the authors longed for for the restoration of their homeland. The authors believed that Zhen's family (Han Chinese) would be restored from the "Void of Emptiness" to the "True Paradise of Ultimate Reality." Jia's family (Manchu) would also see "the orchid return to its fragrance, and the family's fortune return to its original state." The Xue family (Wu Sangui) would repent and protect their descendants. The Feng family (Li Zicheng) would also have "the Spring of the Han Palace." The 50 years of war had made both the victors and the vanquished tragic figures, but China had a bright future, moving toward unity, solidarity, and light amid twists and turns.
"What is the essence of the Dream of the Red Chamber?"—It is national peace (Ningguo) and national prosperity (Rongguo). The masses see "noble men and beauties," while historians interpret "mountains of bones," greatly enhancing the value of "The Dream of the Red Chamber," making it a mirror that reflects both sides, a political and historical novel, and a late feudal encyclopedia—a classical Chinese novel where "the truth is hidden, and the false is preserved." To acknowledge only the positive side of "The Mirror of Wind and Moon" while ignoring its negative side would greatly diminish the value of "The Dream of the Red Chamber"—a love story with only one side, which would not attract Chinese scholars for three hundred years or earn Mao Zedong's praise for reading it at least five times. In the three hundred years since "The Dream of the Red Chamber" was published, only Mao Zedong truly understood its thematic essence. From the perspectives of politics, military strategy, history, philosophy, and literary art, he recognized that the love stories in the novel were "false words" (Jia Yucun), while the Manchu-Han ethnic conflicts and court political struggles were "hidden truths" (Zhen Shiyin). Mao Zedong pointed out incisively: "Cao Xueqin hid the truth and wrote it in the false words of Jia Yucun. The truth lies in political key points, which cannot be revealed, so love (playing with lovers) is used to cover it." After the May Fourth Movement, with the rise of the two major red school scholars, Cai Yuanpei and Hu Shi, the busy Mao Zedong, in the grand manner of a towering figure, watched the storms of red studies over a century.
—The following article is referenced from Xu Zhongyuan's "Mao Zedong's Reading and Critique of Five Classical Novels" (Huawen Press, January 1991 edition). During his visit to the Soviet Union, Mao Zedong used a famous line by Lin Daiyu: "Either the east wind will prevail over the west wind, or the west wind will prevail over the east wind."—In my opinion, Mao Zedong summarized the relationship between the rise and fall of forces within a political faction and between different political groups. This reflects historical materialism and dialectics of nature. On March 1, 1957, at the highest state executive meeting, Mao Zedong used Wang Xifeng's line to Liu Laolao: "Greatness brings great difficulties." He explained that even the affairs of a great nation are not easy. Especially Wang Xifeng's famous line: "Willing to shed the skin, dare to pull down the emperor!"—In my opinion, whether it was Liu Laolao or Wang Xifeng, their words and actions were related to the fate of a nation, even involving the overthrow of one dynasty by another in history. On December 20, 1961, at the meeting of the standing committee of the Central Political Bureau and the secretaries of the major regional governments, Mao Zedong said: "The Dream of the Red Chamber depicts a very detailed social and historical picture. Not only should it be read as a novel, but also as history." Later, he added: "The Dream of the Red Chamber contains extremely rich social historical materials." "I read The Dream of the Red Chamber as history. At first, I read it as a story, then as history."—In my opinion, Mao Zedong's method of reading and studying "The Dream of the Red Chamber" holds universal guidance for all lovers of the novel. On August 18, 1964, at Beidaihe, Mao Zedong spoke with several philosophers, mentioning "The Dream of the Red Chamber" and saying: "I have read The Dream of the Red Chamber at least five times." As for the most, he did not say. The author of this book believes that Mao Zedong is a truly erudite red scholar and a connoisseur of Chinese traditional culture. In the past century, many red scholars or great writers have been influenced by Hu Shi or other foreign cultures, admiring the so-called "beauty of tragedy" and "tragic complex" of Europe and America. However, the tragic beauty and tragic complex of Europe and America are composed of twenty-six letters. Originally a vast country belonging to the Slavic or Germanic language family, it split and became independent due to population movement, geographical barriers, and different pronunciations, leading to smaller and smaller countries, subjected to bullying by larger powers, and generations of families torn apart. Thus, tragic beauty and tragic complex were formed. China, with its 60,000 pictographic characters, is a unified country with diverse regional pronunciations. When written down, it remains completely unified, and through writing, it has achieved the great integration, unity, and harmony of the Chinese ethnic groups, ultimately forming the beauty of reunion and the sentiment of reunion.
—the author of "The Code of the Story of the Stone—Hidden History of the Qing Court" believes that the 120 chapters of "The Dream of the Red Chamber" form a perfect whole, with the last 40 chapters being revisions and continuations of the original manuscript, not a "dog's tail" by Gao E. Professor Li Xianping of Fudan University's Department of Mathematics used computer research to prove that the writing styles of the chapters in "The Dream of the Red Chamber" belong to different categories, and the parts were actually written by different authors at different times. "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is the crystallization of collective wisdom, as no single individual could possess such profound historical and literary knowledge. The authors consist of three groups of literati ("mustaches"):
1. Politicians, military strategists, and historians who participated in the 19-year anti-Qing armed struggle outside the imperial palace.
2. Ming and Southern Ming literati who refused to serve the Qing or had already served it.
3. Former Ming officials serving in the imperial palace. They experienced the three dynasties of Chongde, Yongzheng, and Kangxi, respectively recording the historical stories of the ruling Manchu Qing court (the "women").
Originally, the manuscript of "The Dream of the Red Chamber" was titled "The Story of the Stone" and "The Record of the Passionate Monk"—the authors used the story of the Yuan Emperor abandoning the jade seal and the Qing Emperor modifying it into the Qing imperial seal as a metaphor to focus on the history of the Ming dynasty's fall and the Qing dynasty's rise ("Because after experiencing a dream, the truth was hidden, and the story of the Stone was written with the 'Communication of the Spiritual Jade.' Therefore, it is said that 'Zhen Shiyin' and so on."). Later, the literati in Beijing and Jiangnan used historical and social materials to supplement and create a love story, becoming "The Mirror of Wind and Moon" and "The Dream of the Red Chamber," lamenting the vicissitudes of dynastic change ("But what events and people are recorded in the book? It is also said: 'Now, I am busy and have achieved nothing. Suddenly, I think of all the women I once had, and I carefully examine them, only to find that their actions, knowledge, and insights are all superior to mine. How can my dignified mustaches be inferior to them? There is more shame than regret, and no benefit from repentance. In this situation, I want to compile a collection of the past, when I was favored by heaven and ancestors, wearing fine clothes and eating richly, forgetting the education of my parents and brothers, and violating the teachings of my teachers and friends, to this day, I have achieved nothing and spent half my life in misery. The crime is unavoidable, but the women in the inner quarters are indeed clear. It is absolutely not acceptable to protect my shortcomings because of my incompetence and let them all be forgotten. Although my current thatched cottage and wicker window, my morning and evening wind and dew, my steps and flowers, do not hinder my spirit and writing, although I am unlearned and cannot write, what is the harm in using false words to tell a story, which can also make the women in the inner quarters known, please the world, and relieve people's worries? Is this not appropriate? Therefore, it is said that 'Jia Yucun' and so on."). Later, the manuscript was handed over to literati in the imperial palace who verified, edited, and organized it for ten years, adding the tragic parts of the women in the harem, "It is not as good as the half-century of personal observations and hearsays of these women. Although I dare not say they are stronger than all the people in the books of previous generations, their deeds and origins can still relieve sorrow and boredom, and there are a few crooked poems and familiar sayings that can make people laugh and drink. As for the joys and sorrows of separation and reunion, the rise and fall of fate, they follow the traces and dare not add to them, only to provide entertainment for people and lose the true tradition." This became "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling." The process of writing "The Dream of the Red Chamber" can be described as "one voice, two songs; one hand, two scrolls," with successive and unprecedented contributions.
"All in the world is in vain, tears of sorrow! Everyone says the author is mad, who understands the meaning within?" The history and the novel are wonderfully combined, forcing historical allusions through the form of a love story, so the timeline of the novel and the ages of the characters are contradictory and chaotic, full of what contemporary red scholars call "clumsy writing," "coincidences," and "dead ends." From the Void Walker to the Passionate Monk, from Kong Meixi and Wu Yufeng to Cao Xueqin, they overlooked it and did not change it for ten years. Because these "clumsy writing," "coincidences," and "dead ends" are the black box to solve "The Dream of the Red Chamber," not a single word can be changed—"Without extensive reading and understanding of events, coupled with the effort of seeking knowledge and investigating things, one cannot realize it." The Void Walker, the Passionate Monk, Kong Meixi, Wu Yufeng, and Cao Xueqin are all pen names of the authors of "The Dream of the Red Chamber." After the 120 chapters of "The Dream of the Red Chamber" were published as a love story, the strange phenomenon of "the more you study, the more confused you become" appeared, mainly because the historical background and the true identities of the characters in the novel were not clarified—Wang Mengyuan pointed out: "Among the hundreds of people, it is not necessary to assign every role, or to say this instead of that, or several people to play one role, or one person to play several roles, or to perform the latter part first and then the former, or to use them in this scene and not ask about the next." Due to the participation of multiple authors and multiple revisions and supplements, the historical figures alluded to by the actors kept changing and increasing, which determined the contradictions and chaos of the characters' ages and timelines in the novel—"The past and the future, do not think that wisdom can break through; the cause and effect, you must know that close encounters are not inevitable." After Hu Shi's "cutting theory" appeared, "The Dream of the Red Chamber" became the true "labyrinth" and "nightmare" of Chinese literature.
"The Code of the Story of the Stone—Hidden History of the Qing Court"—is a bold attempt to solve the labyrinth of red studies, aiming to cast a stone to draw jade. The hidden history of the Qing court is only a small part of the iceberg of "The Dream of the Red Chamber," and it is the submerged part. The literary and artistic part of "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is the of the Himalayas. The fatal flaw of "The Code of the Story of the Stone—Hidden History of the Qing Court" is that it cannot analyze the brilliant achievements of "The Dream of the Red Chamber" in literary art. It can only wait for the wise. But anyone who wants to analyze and study "The Dream of the Red Chamber" to reach a high level must first clarify the "truth hidden" and the "false preserved." Otherwise, it will be like scratching an itch through the sleeve, chasing the wind and chasing the fish, and "the more you study, the more confused you become."