Dream of the Red Chamber (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Cao Xueqin, Gao E
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: "Returning to Zhen Shi Yin's Dream to Recognize the Spiritual Jade in Jia Yuancun's Dust and Yearning for the Fair Ladies—This is the Opening Chapter." The author himself said, "After having experienced a series of dreams, I have hidden the truth and borrowed the legend of the 'Spiritual Jade' to write this book, Dream of the Red Chamber. Therefore, I call it 'Zhen Shi Yin' and so on." But what events and people are recorded in the book? He also said, "Now I am busy and have accomplished nothing. Suddenly remembering the women I once knew, I examine them one by one and find that their actions, insights, and knowledge are all superior to mine. My male pride is truly inferior to them. I am full of shame, but regret is useless. There is nothing I can do about it. On this day, I wish to compile a collection of my past life, when I was favored by heaven and ancestors, dressed in fine clothes, and lived in luxury, forgetting the kindness of my parents and brothers, and neglecting the teachings of teachers and friends, leading to my current state of having no skills and a half-life of misfortune. I want to write this down to tell the world: although I am guilty of many faults, there are many outstanding women in the world, and I cannot let my incompetence cause them to be forgotten. Therefore, even in a humble abode with straw mats and earthen pots, I am not hindered in my thoughts. Moreover, the morning winds, evening moons, and the willows and flowers in the courtyard all seem to nourish my writing. Although I am unlearned and unlettered, what harm is there in using fictional tales to narrate it? It can also make the fair ladies of the world known and break the boredom of my peers, enlightening their eyes. Isn’t this a good thing? Therefore, I call it 'Jia Yuancun' and so on." He also uses words like "dream" and "illusion" throughout the book, which is the essence of the book and also serves to remind the readers. Sir, you ask where this book came from? Though it may seem absurd, it has an interesting story to tell.
It is said that when the goddess Nüwa was repairing the sky by melting stones, she forged thirty-six thousand, five hundred and one large, square stones, each twelve feet high and twenty-four feet long, on the Wuxi Peak of the Great Wilderness. The goddess used thirty-six thousand, five hundred of them, leaving only one unused, which she discarded at the foot of Qinggang Peak. Who knew that after being tempered, the stone had gained a spiritual essence and could move freely,. Seeing that all the other stones had been chosen to repair the sky, this one felt inferior for having no talent and was not selected. It grew resentful and sorrowful, weeping day and night. One day, as it was lamenting, it suddenly saw a monk and a Taoist priest approaching from afar, with extraordinary appearances and spirits. They sat down and talked on the Qinggang Peak. Seeing the bright and lustrous stone, which had shrunk to the size of a fan, they found it quite lovely. The monk held it in his palm and smiled, saying, "It is indeed a spiritual object, but it lacks substance. You must carve some characters on it so that everyone who sees it will know it is a rare treasure. Then take it to the prosperous land of poetry and literature, the noble families, the land of flowers and willows, and the land of wealth and gentleness to wander." The stone was overjoyed and asked, "What characters should I carve? Where should I go? Please enlighten me." The monk smiled and said, "Don’t ask now; you will understand later." With that, he tucked the stone into his sleeve and flew away with the Taoist priest, leaving no trace of where they went.
Who knew how many lifetimes and calamities passed before a Taoist priest named Kong Kong, seeking the Tao and immortality, passed by the Qinggang Peak of Wuxi Peak. He suddenly saw a large stone with clear inscriptions and a detailed account. The Taoist priest read it from beginning to end and found that it was a stone that had no talent to repair the sky, had taken the form of a human in the mortal world, and had been carried by the boundless sage and the vast immortal into the mortal world and guided to the other shore. The stone described its fall from grace, its rebirth, and the trivial affairs of its family and the leisurely pursuits of the fair ladies, as well as poetry and riddles, in great detail. However, the dynasties and years were lost. At the end, there was a verse:
"Without talent to repair the sky,
Wasted years in the mortal world.
This is the story of life and death,
Who will record it as a rare tale?"
Kong Kong read it over and realized that the stone had a remarkable origin. He said to the stone, "Brother Stone, your story is quite interesting, so I have inscribed it here to be heard by the world. In my opinion: First, there is no record of the dynasty or years; second, there are no great sages or loyal ministers, no wise policies for the court or the customs of the people. It only contains a few extraordinary women, some sentimental, some foolish, or with small talents and virtues. Even if I copy it, it cannot be considered a remarkable book." The stone replied, "Why must my master be so stubborn? I think that the wild histories of the past were all borrowed from the names of the Han and Tang dynasties. It would be better if my stone’s story did not follow this pattern and simply recorded its own events and logic, which would be fresh and unique. Moreover, in the wild histories, there were many slanders against the emperor and ministers, or the wives and daughters, with countless acts of adultery and wickedness. There were also many lewd and foul writings that corrupted the young. As for the tales of scholars and fair ladies, they all began with 'Wenjun' and filled the pages with 'Zijian,' with the same dullness and repetition. They could not avoid being lewd. The authors only wanted to write a few love poems and passionate verses, so they made up names for two men and women and added a small character to create chaos, like a clown in a play. Even more annoying was the use of 'ziheshiye' and 'zheyezheye,' which were either illogical or literary, far from the truth, and self-contradictory. It would be better to write about the several women I have personally seen and heard in my half-life. Though I dare not say they are better than those in the books of the past, their deeds and origins can still relieve sorrow and boredom. As for the few crooked poems, they can be used to laugh and drink. Their joys and sorrows, rises and falls, are all recorded truthfully, without exaggeration. I hope that when people are drunk or awake, or when they want to escape from troubles and relieve their worries, they will read this and not only refresh themselves but also save some strength and not chase after vain and illusory things. What do you think?"
Kong Kong thought for a while and reread the Dream of the Red Chamber. Seeing that its main theme was about love and that it was a true record without harm to the times or moral corruption, he copied it from beginning to end and made it known to the world. From then on, Kong Kong, seeing emptiness in color, giving birth to emotions from color, transmitting emotions through color, and realizing emptiness through color, changed his name to "The Emotion Monk" and renamed the Dream of the Red Chamber the Record of the Emotion Monk. Master Kong Meixi of Donglu wrote the title Mirror of Wind and Moon. Later, Cao Xueqin, while reviewing it in the Red Memorial Pavilion for ten years, revised and edited it five times, compiled a table of contents, divided it into chapters, and wrote a poem. This is the origin of the Dream of the Red Chamber. The poem goes:
"All the words in this book are absurd,
A handful of bitter tears.
They say the author is mad,
Who can understand the meaning?"
The origin of the Dream of the Red Chamber having been made clear, it is unknown what people and events are recorded on the stone. Please listen.