Dream of the Red Chamber (Annotated Edition)

Author: Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the greatest works in the history of Chinese literature and a shared literary and artistic treasure of people around the world. Since its publication, it has been subjected to "multiple savoring-style close readings and repeated analytical studies,"① yielding fruitful academic and theoretical results. In China, a unique discipline—Red Studies—has emerged. Among various reading and research methods, one important approach is the novel critique. Renowned aesthetician Ye Lang pointed out that "novel critique is the main form of aesthetics in Chinese classical fiction" and summarized several of its advantages: flexible and free, with substantial capacity; originating from the work itself and intertwined with it, rather than being cold, detached, and far removed from the subject matter; and employing simple, clear, and easily understandable language.
In the critiques of The Dream of the Red Chamber, figures such as the Qing Dynasty's Lipianzhai, Wang Xilian, Yao Xie, Zhang Xinzhi, Erzhidao Ren, Zhu Lian, Tu Ying, Jie'an Jushi, and Hong Qiufen have left a significant impact on readers. A decade ago, the renowned Red Scholar Feng Qiyong compiled critiques from eight of these scholars and published The Critiques of Eight Scholars on the Red Chamber,③ contributing to the reading, appreciation, and study of The Dream of the Red Chamber. The outstanding Russian literary theorist Belinsky once remarked on his reading of Pushkin's works: "Pushkin is not one of those phenomena that stagnate at their original level with the passing of life but continues to develop in social consciousness. Every era must offer its own interpretation of these phenomena, regardless of how well it understands them, leaving something new and more accurate for the next era, and no era can exhaust all that needs to be said."④ This statement is entirely applicable to the study and critique of The Dream of the Red Chamber. In other words, no matter how many important and correct things the predecessors have said about The Dream of the Red Chamber and how brilliant their critiques may be, later generations will not cease their reading and reflection but will strive to say something new and correct, offering fresh critiques of the work.
This guide edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber differs from historical critique editions in both form and content. It primarily consists of a preface (similar to a "general critique") and introductory texts for each chapter (similar to "chapter previews"). The critiques interspersed between each chapter have been omitted due to overall text length constraints. The introductory texts for each chapter mainly consist of two parts: a summary of the content and a brief critique of the ideological and artistic aspects. The text summarizing the content was written with the consideration that the content of each chapter in The Dream of the Red Chamber is abundant, outlining its key plot points would serve as a vivid guide, aiding readers in their study. The brief critique of the ideological and artistic aspects aims to grasp the macro-level ideas and artistic features while highlighting key points, introducing the most valuable aspects of the novel to readers.
The annotations in this book are concise and focused on key points. In summary, it aims to present a new and easily accessible version to. From an ideological perspective, some have called The Dream of the Red Chamber a "encyclopedia," and I fully agree with this statement. It indeed covers a wide range of knowledge, such as clothing, utensils, architecture, gardens, food, medicine, religion, opera, art, and recreational activities, with many of these reaching a high level of sophistication. For example, the remarks by Xue Baochai on painting in the 42nd chapter could be used as a textbook for professional painting courses. However, the novel's focus is clearly not on these encyclopedic details. The most valuable ideological content of the novel mainly includes the following three aspects:
(1) The novel uses typical facts to expose the darkness of the feudal bureaucracy, thereby proposing an important idea against corruption. This not only helps us understand the feudal society correctly but also offers great enlightenment for today's anti-corruption struggles. The principle of combating corruption and promoting integrity has been upheld by dynasties throughout history. Cao Xueqin and Gao E inherited the ancient Chinese concept of and explored this issue deeply. In a certain sense, The Dream of the Red Chamber is a great work against corruption. First, the novel uses typical facts to expose the corruption in the personnel system of the feudal late period. Corruption in personnel is the foundation and prerequisite for various corrupt practices. This corruption is mainly manifested in the following two aspects:
1. The blatant sale of official positions and titles by those in power. In the 13th chapter, it is written that Qin Keqing, the wife of Jia Rong, dies, while Jia Rong is merely a probationary scholar. To make a wedding more magnificent, Jia Zhen discusses with the eunuch Dai Quan the idea of "donating a position" for Jia Rong, and Dai Quan demands 1,200 taels of silver. Jia Zhen sends the money to Dai Quan's home, and thus, the incompetent and morally bankrupt Jia Rong rises from a probationary scholar to a "fifth-rank dragon guard."
2. The indirect sale of official positions through networks of connections. Jia Yucai's career in the officialdom is a representative of this method. Jia Yucai was originally a poor and ambitious scholar, supported by Zhen Shiyin, who helped him pass the imperial examinations, become a scholar, and later promoted to a prefect. When he first entered the bureaucracy, his lack of political acumen led to his impeachment. This political setback taught Jia Yucai the art of navigating the system. He then devoted himself to. First, he was introduced to the household of the salt inspector Lin Ruohai as a private tutor for Lin's daughter. Later, through Lin Ruohai, he worked hard to curry favor with Jia Zheng, the second elder brother of the Ministry of Revenue in the Jia family. Thanks to Lin Ruohai's recommendation, Jia Zheng favored Jia Yucai, and through Jia Zheng's "flattery," he secured a post as a replacement and was appointed as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture within two months. This success through gave Jia Yucai a taste of the sweet life, and over the years, he gradually advanced in his political career, eventually becoming a high-ranking official such as the Vice Minister of Personnel and the Minister of War. A morally corrupt political climber, through and the "flattery" of the human network, climbed the ladder of power. Such individuals, when exercising power, inevitably committed various acts that harmed the nation and its people.
(2) The novel uses typical facts to expose the corruption in the judicial system of the feudal society. Judicial corruption is a concentrated manifestation of political corruption and the most severe form of corruption that could shake the feudal structure. This can be seen in two aspects:
1. Judicial corruption caused by (collusion between officials). After Jia Yucai became the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, he handled a case involving Xue Pan killing Feng Yuan in a dispute over the purchase of a maidservant. When he was about to issue an arrest warrant for the culprit, a door servant informed him about the "Protective Official List" (): "Now, every local official has a private list, listing the names of the most powerful and wealthy gentry in their province; this is the case across all provinces; if you are not aware of it, if you accidentally offend such families, not only your official status but even your life may be in danger! Therefore, it is called the Protective Official List." This statement reveals the universality and inevitability of judicial corruption: this phenomenon "exists in all provinces," implying that each province has its own "Protective Official List," and each county has something similar to the "Protective Official List," resulting in a layered "protection of officials." As a result, the powerful and wealthy can commit crimes with impunity, while the common people suffer injustice and have no voice. The "protection" is mutual—it is both self-protection for officials and illegal protection for the powerful. It is impossible not to "protect officials" in this political system. Anyone who dares not "protect officials" risks losing their official position or even their life. Those who replace them are simply "protective officials." Therefore, it is clear that under this political system, judicial corruption is inevitable. The novel exposes the bloody facts of judicial corruption caused by the "Protective Official List": Xue Pan kills Feng Yuan, and with only a little extra payment for burial expenses, the case is reduced from a major issue to a minor one; Jia Yucai, to protect and help Jia She take possession of the twenty ancient fans of Shi Dazi, devises a scheme to claim that he is in arrears of official silver, takes him to the court, and says that the official silver owed should be compensated by selling his property, and the fans are confiscated and given to Jia She at the official price. From these two incidents, we can see the consequences of judicial corruption caused by (collusion between officials), and the common people are trapped in this corrupt mire, struggling to survive.
2. Judicial corruption caused by (bribery and corruption). The transaction between Wang Xifeng and the elderly nun Jingxu at the Water-Moon Temple is an example of . In this transaction, the nun presents 3,000 taels of silver, and Wang Xifeng uses her "power resources" to ask someone to introduce her to Yun Guang, the acting governor of Chang'an Prefecture. Yun Guang uses his authority to forcefully break the marriage between Zhen Xing and the son of the Chang'an Garrison Commander, leading to the double suicide of the two young people. In this case, Yun Guang's intervention can be seen as a form of judicial intervention, as his words carry the weight of law due to his status and power, and the Chang'an Garrison Commander dare not defy his superior. The transaction between Wang Xifeng and Yun Guang is merely a simple operation of using power for money. When she raged in Ningguo Mansion and killed You Erji, she used to an exquisite degree. Wang Xifeng bribed the judicial authorities (the Censorate) and the authorities closely cooperated with Wang Xifeng, making the government almost like Wang Xifeng's own shop. Whatever Wang Xifeng wanted the government to do, the government did; whatever she wanted to achieve, she achieved. You Erji's suicide by swallowing gold is a consequence of judicial corruption. Judicial corruption caused by and leaves the lives and property of the common people, who are at the bottom of society, completely unprotected, making them like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of the powerful.
(3) The novel tells readers that anti-corruption efforts require comprehensive social governance. When corruption becomes a trend, society becomes a foul and contaminated. The Dream of the Red Chamber vividly illustrates this point through the character of Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng was not born into the imperial examination system but rose to prominence through the special favor of the emperor. Due to his impartiality in handling affairs, he was recommended by the governor and promoted to the post of a in the Ministry of Revenue. In the 99th chapter, it is written that he is appointed as the grain inspector of Jiangxi, and his actions well reflect his "achievements." The grain inspector, known as the grain transport supervisor, is a prestigious position responsible for overseeing grain transport. Many corrupt officials, upon assuming this position, engage in embezzlement and extortion of the common people. However, Jia Zheng, determined to "be a good official," discussed with his (secretary/advisor) the issuance of a notice to strictly prohibit such practices and threatened to report any violations to the authorities for investigation. Since Jia Zheng was determined to investigate seriously, he refused all gifts from subordinates, causing those who wanted to profit from the situation to complain. In this situation, Jia Zheng found himself unable to function in his position and had no choice but to ask his personal servant, Li Shierchi, for advice. Li Shierchi's speech reveals a simple truth: since corruption has become a climate in the officialdom, the common people do not recognize honest officials and only say that officials find ways to extract money. Following the path of "wanting to be a good official" leads to a bad outcome; the entire society is (reversed black and white), and the corrupt status quo cannot be reversed. Honest officials suffer consequences, while corrupt officials rise to power. It is better not to be honest. Li Shierchi can be considered a "psychologist," and his sharp rebuke shattered Jia Zheng's psychological defense of wanting to be a good and honest official. As a result，Jia Zheng handed over the real power to Li Shierchi, who then acted as a tyrant, manipulating Jia Zheng and making him a puppet. An individual who subjectively wanted to be a good and honest official became objectively aligned with the villains, acting as an undeniably corrupt and mediocre official. From a practical social perspective, he can also be considered a poor official. Jia Zheng's experience tells people that in a where (reversed black and white) and corruption is rampant，even someone with an uncorrupted nature and a subjective desire to be a good and honest official will inevitably be dragged into the corrupt mire by the () of the evil social forces. In the above examples，we notice that the real corruptors are not the main officials but their subordinates (Li Shierchi and others). Their subordinates act within the entire corrupt social environment to do evil. This shows that anti-corruption is a social project that requires comprehensive governance. It is not only necessary to combat corruption among those in power but also among their subordinates and relatives, eliminating the phenomenon of“”；it is necessary to combat corruption not only in the officialdom but also in the (e.g., various forms of industry corruption). Without a clean society，it is difficult to have a clean officialdom. This holds profound implications for today's anti-corruption struggles.
Author: Cao Xueqin
Version:
Mr. Hu Shi's A Study of the Dream of the Red Chamber published in the early 20th century first revealed the mystery of the authorship of The Dream of the Red Chamber. Based on Hu Shi's findings, after extensive research by numerous experts，the following conclusion has been reached: The original author of The Dream of the Red Chamber was Cao Xueqin (1715-1764), named Cao Xueqin, styled Mengruan, and known as Xueqin, Qinpu, and Qinxi. His ancestors were Han people who were likely enrolled in the Manchu White Banner in the late Ming Dynasty, with a status of "," meaning household servants of the Manchu nobility. After the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing in 1644, the Cao family became officials in the Inner Ministry, serving the court. Cao Xueqin's great-grandfather, Cao Xi，served as the Jiangning Textile Manufacturer. His grandfather, Tang Yin，was once a in the Inner Ministry, as well as the Textile Manufacturer of Suzhou and Jiangning and the Imperial Commissioner for the Transport of Grain in the Two Huai River Regions. Cao Xunshi，his father，inherited the position of Jiangning Textile Manufacturer and was dismissed from office in the fifth year of the Yongzheng era (1727) for crimes. The next year，his family was confiscated，and the entire family moved back to Beijing. In his youth，Cao Xueqin lived a life of luxury in Nanjing, but after the decline of his family，he worked as a teacher or clerk in Beijing's clan school for a period. Later，he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing and lived a poor life of "eating porridge and drinking borrowed wine." The rapid changes in his family and personal status exposed him to a broader social reality and influenced by the progressive thoughts of the time, allowing him to clearly recognize the corruption and decline of his own class. Therefore，he was able to write this great work despite his poverty and hardship. Cao Xueqin began writing the novel around 1744, but until his death，only the first 80 chapters were completed, titled The Story of the Stone. Some fragments of the manuscript for the latter 80 chapters were unfortunately lost before they could be organized. The novel as seen today includes the last 40 chapters, generally considered to have been by Gao E. Gao E，styled L，and known as the "Outer Historian of the Red Chamber," passed the imperial examinations in 1795 and served as an Inner Ministry clerk among other positions. Before 1791，heed The Story of the Stone and changed the title to The Dream of the Red Chamber. The above conclusion has become a consensus in the field of Red Studies.
Before Cao Xueqin's time，his manuscripts were already partially copied. From around 1754 to before 1791，The Story of the Stone circulated mainly in the form of an 80-chapter edition among a small group of people. In 1791，Cheng Wei Yuan first printed the 120-chapter edition by Gao E，known as the The Dream of the Red Chamber. The next year，he also printed the The Dream of the Red Chamber, a 120-chapter edition revised by Gao E. Since then，widely circulated critique editions such as those by Wang Xilian and Yao Meibai have been based on the or .
The evaluation of the The Dream of the Red Chamber has been a topic of discussion for nearly half a century. In the past，most people held critical or negative opinions, some of which were quite sharp. Since the 1990s，the situation has changed，with some people gaining a new understanding of the and acknowledging Gao E's. The author firmly supports the and highly evaluates it. The reasons are as follows:
First，from a general perspective，a manuscript is just a stack of paper filled with words if no one reads it. Even if it circulates in the form of a manuscript among a small group of people，it cannot truly realize its ideological and artistic value. Only through publication and widespread reading by the general public can it achieve a specific social form of possession，gain widespread dissemination and permanent preservation，thus acquiring a true artistic life. From this perspective，the actions of Cheng Wei Yuan and Gao E in publishing the book have enabled Cao Xueqin's work to realize its life value，adding a great work to the treasure trove of Chinese literature, and leaving an indelible contribution to Chinese civilization.
Second，the greatest achievement of Gao E's is that it truly made The Dream of the Red Chamber a tragedy. Lu Xun once said about tragedy: "Tragedy destroys the valuable aspects of life before our eyes." From this perspective，the first 80 chapters primarily the valuable aspects of life, while the last 40 chapters value. For example, breaking an ordinary ugly ceramic jar will not cause people's hearts to ache, but shattering a exquisite and rare porcelain vase left by ancestors will cause great sorrow and pain. The first 80 chapters are like presenting this exquisite vase；the last 40 chapters are like shattering it. The basic emotional trend of the first 80 chapters is high-spirited and optimistic，while the last 40 chapters is low-spirited and pessimistic. The two parts can form a "emotional parabola." The three chapters describing the death of Lin Daiyu in the 96th, 97th, and 98th chapters are the most important plot segments in the entire book that can best evoke readers' aesthetic peak experiences. Isolating the first 80 chapters alone，it cannot be considered a work of tragedy art. Only when combined with the last 40 chapters does it become a tragedy. Lu Xun's "a mist of sorrow permeating the groves" refers to the heavy mist that arises from the last 40 chapters and permeates and envelops the entire book. If the had not been written in this way，and if Baoyu and Daiyu had ended up together，then the first 80 chapters would have become a comforting and for Baoyu and Daiyu, and then The Dream of the Red Chamber would not be considered a "tragedy." In short，the existence of the last 40 chapters ultimately formed and strengthened the macro-level tragic atmosphere of this masterpiece，making The Dream of the Red Chamber truly a great tragedy, which is the greatest success of Gao E's.
Third，Gao E's， in terms of ideological content，can "" with the first 80 chapters；in terms of art，it also achieved high standards. These two aspects determine that the last 40 chapters can completely form a "complete work." Regarding the issue of artistic standards，as mentioned earlier，just the plot of Lin Daiyu's death is sufficient to prove the author's talent and genius in the. In fact，due to the mission of "implementing the tragic ending" that the carries，it could not fully demonstrate the author's talent. For example，in the first 80 chapters，Qing Wen dies young，and Cao Xueqin wrote a brilliant "Eulogy for Qing Wen." In the last 40 chapters，Lin Daiyu dies，but Gao E did not write any similar literary work for Baoyu, which was clearly not due to the author's lack of talent，but rather an "artistic compromise" made in consideration of the overall needs of the book and the plot point that Baoyu has lost his "spiritual vitality" due to the loss of the jade pendant. What to write，what not to write，and how to write it，must all be decided from the overall perspective and cannot "steal the show," which itself reflects Gao E's artistic wisdom. Regarding the ideological aspect，Gao E did not deviate from the original design of Cao Xueqin. Take the topic of "" as an example. As mentioned earlier，the ，the character of Jia Lan is repeatedly depicted as diligent in studying and intelligent，living up to the nurturing of his mother, Li Xun, and growing up according to the wishes of the elders. On the other hand，the mythological system is used to predict the fate of Li Xun and his son by the Fairy of the Water-Moon Temple: a pot of lush orchids is painted after the poem，with a beautiful woman in phoenix crown and phoenix robes beside it，and the verse reads: "，。" The song "Late Splendor" hints at "wearing a pearl crown and a phoenix robe," suggesting that Jia Lan will "wear a，chestnut gold seal，and a high-ranking official's insignia." These texts are sufficient to prove that the original work had already laid multiple foundations for Jia Lan's brilliant future, especially the hints from the Fairy of the Water-Moon Temple about the noble fate of the mother and son, which are quite clear. Jia Lan，as the legitimate heir of the Jia family，his rise signifies the revival of the Jia family. Therefore，the "" of "" has its roots deeply embedded in the soil of the original work. Thus，it can be seen that in the topic of "," Gao E's is completely consistent with Cao Xueqin's original design.
The author does not intend to elaborate on other aspects and invites readers to refer to the introductory texts before each chapter.
Because the The Dream of the Red Chamber has been born for over 200 years and has successfully passed the artistic acceptance test of generations of readers，Gao E's has been proven through practice to be a successful based on the original work, so this guide edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber is also a new version based on the . The author firmly believes that the idea of separating the original work and the will not succeed，and a new that replaces Gao E's will not be accepted by readers. The The Dream of the Red Chamber as a great cultural and artistic treasure of China will be cherished by people across the country and even the world for generations.