Dream of the Red Chamber (Upper, Middle, and Lower) - Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics

Author: Cao Xueqin (Qing Dynasty), Gao E (Qing Dynasty) wrote, edited by Wang Xiaorong, Guo Jianping, and Wang Yanqin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the most literary achievements in classical Chinese literature. It stands as the pinnacle of classical Chinese literary creation and is a cultural treasure of humanity. Through the depiction of the rise and fall of the four great families—Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue—it presents a broad social landscape, encompassing a myriad of phenomena and diverse secular human relationships. It is often called the "encyclopedia of the late feudal era," as it contains the historical essence of an entire period. The Dream of the Red Chamber was originally titled The Story of the Stone and also known by other names such as The Twelve Beauties of Jinling. The entire work revolves around the tragic love story of Bao and Dai, narrating the intricate relationships and conflicts among the father-son, brother-sister, husband-wife, master-servant, and other family members of the Jia and Ning branches in terms of marriage, morality, culture, education, and property. It truthfully and typically reflects the life of the declining aristocracy in the feudal society, recreating a vivid social panorama of the late feudal era: the darkness of politics, the corruption of the bureaucracy, the decline of social morals, and the moral corruption of the people. The entire work is like a prism, condensing a microcosm of the society at the time, hence earning the reputation of being an "encyclopedia" for understanding and recognizing various social phenomena of the late feudal era in China. The connotations of The Dream of the Red Chamber are profound and all-encompassing; its artistic mastery is sublime and awe-inspiring.