Dai Dунбанг's Illustrated Chronicle of the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Dai Dunbang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Dai Dunbang, self-proclaimed folk artist, was born in Shima Village, Danpu District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. He had no formal education. He served as a professor at the School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, until his retirement. Due to his long-standing career in creating sequential illustrations, he was once elected as the of theArt Committee of the China Artists Association and served as the Vice President of the Shanghai Taoist Association and the Standing Committee Member of the Shanghai Artists Association. However, the most suitable title for him was a member of the China Artists Association. He had no monumental works; most of his creations were illustrations classical Chinese literary masterpieces and classical poetry, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber," "Water Margin," and "The West Chamber." Here, it is worth mentioning that the author was very diligent. He revised some character images four or five times until he was relatively satisfied with them. Among these four character illustrations, I particularly admire his creation of Liu Xianglian, this actor-like figure who roams the world due to his passion for opera. It is hard to imagine what he should look like. However, Dunbang has a way—he gave Liu Xianglian a male physique and a female face, and even gave him a stage pose even while whipping the bully. It is truly brilliant. Moreover, the two horses left behind by Liu Xianglian are also painted very well. He did not draw the entire body of the horses but emphasized their heads, highlighting the intimate bond between them. This subtly hints at the relationship between Liu Xianglian and Xue Panan. Just this alone surpasses a thousand words in the novel. This book features illustrations, illustrations, and sequential illustrations of the "Dream of the Red Chamber" theme drawn by Mr. Dai Dunbang in the 1980s.