Gao Yang - On Cao Xueqin

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The background of Cao Xueqin's life is not only complex but also special; not only special but also contradictory. Adding to his early misfortunes and the decline of his family, which was not typical of the aristocracy but only differed in wealth, the fundamental tone of his life remained unchanged. After the Manchu government confiscated Cao's property, his family returned to the northern capital and became Banner people, completely changing their living environment and unable to maintain their original way of life. Coupled with Cao Xueqin's passionate and unrestrained temperament, his repeated setbacks formed an arrogant personality that was difficult for others to understand, making his life even more mysterious and hard to decipher. However, humans are indeed influenced by their environment. If one can understand the broader context of his time, as well as the smaller environments that were permissible within it, and analyze the available materials with a calm mind, adhering to the principles allowed by the environment, establish reasonable hypotheses, and approach it without prejudice—"searching high and low, digging everywhere for evidence"—to verify their hypotheses, then it is not difficult to reveal Cao Xueqin's inner and outer selves. This mirror may be somewhat blurred, and gazing at the shadow of Cao Xueqin may be like looking at flowers in the fog, but the outline is roughly clear. Fear that this mirror is a funhouse mirror, then the clearer it is, the more distorted it becomes. To pursue knowledge with a calm mind and without prejudice is not easy. Beyond personal cultivation, the most crucial thing is to have an environment of academic freedom, allowing him to quietly work on his own research. He has the freedom to research, but also the freedom not to research; the freedom to read certain materials without restriction, and the freedom to read materials without having to express an opinion. After I felt I had a relatively deep understanding of Cao Xueqin, what particularly moved me was that Cao Xueqin, at that time, was willing to risk poverty, hunger, and hardship—even death—to fight for this freedom of research and creation! From this perspective, we might say that Dream of the Red Chamber is a vivid symbol of Cao Xueqin's success in winning the freedom to research and create at all costs.
Cao Xueqin's background is not only complex but also special; not only special but also contradictory. Adding to his early misfortunes and the decline of his family, which was not typical of the aristocracy but only differed in wealth, the fundamental tone of his life remained unchanged. After the Manchu government confiscated Cao's property, his family returned to the northern capital and became Banner people, completely changing their living environment and unable to maintain their original way of life. Coupled with Cao Xueqin's passionate and unrestrained temperament, his repeated setbacks formed an arrogant personality that was difficult for others to understand, making his life even more mysterious and hard to decipher. However, humans are indeed influenced by their environment. If one can understand the broader context of his time, as well as the smaller environments that were permissible within it, and analyze the available materials with a calm mind, adhering to the principles allowed by the environment, establish reasonable hypotheses, and approach it without prejudice—"searching high and low, digging everywhere for evidence"—to verify their hypotheses, then it is not difficult to reveal Cao Xueqin's inner and outer selves. This mirror may be somewhat blurred, and gazing at the shadow of Cao Xueqin may be like looking at flowers in the fog, but the outline is roughly clear. Fear that this mirror is a funhouse mirror, then the clearer it is, the more distorted it becomes. To pursue knowledge with a calm mind and without prejudice is not easy. Beyond personal cultivation, the most crucial thing is to have an environment of academic freedom, allowing him to quietly work on his own research. He has the freedom to research, but also the freedom not to research; the freedom to read certain materials without restriction, and the freedom to read materials without having to express an opinion. After I felt I had a relatively deep understanding of Cao Xueqin, what particularly moved me was that Cao Xueqin, at that time, was willing to risk poverty, hunger, and hardship—even death—to fight for this freedom of research and creation! From this perspective, we might say that Dream of the Red Chamber is a vivid symbol of Cao Xueqin's success in winning the freedom to research and create at all costs.