Cao Xueqin (1715–1763, some say 1715–1764), whose given name was Zhan, styled Mengruan, and went by the pseudonyms Xueqin, Qinpu, and Qinxi, hailed from Liaoyang. He was a novelist, poet, and painter during the Qing Dynasty and a grandson of Cao Yin. Over a decade of meticulous work and five rounds of revisions, he created the masterpiece Dream of the Red Mansions (also known as The Story of the Stone), a novel with profound ideological content and intricate plots, which holds a significant position in the history of Chinese literature.
As a youth, Cao Xueqin resided in Nanjing before relocating to Beijing with his family. His early years were marked by immense wealth and opulence. In 1727, his father, Cao Fu, was implicated in a case and dismissed from office and his property confiscated due to financial irregularities, leading to the decline of the family fortune. They subsequently moved to Beijing. In his later years, Cao Xueqin lived in the western suburbs of Beijing, where his family survived on porridge, facing dire straits. Driven by hardship, he lost his wife and children and died in poverty before reaching his fifties.
Cao Xueqin was also skilled in poetry and painting, although unfortunately, his works have been lost, with only two fragments of a poem inscribed in Dun Cheng's Bai Xiangshan's Pipa Song legend remaining: "The poetic spirit of Bai Juyi must be delighted, surely arranging the spirits of Man and Su in the performance." Dream of the Red Mansions represents Cao Xueqin's monumental contribution to Chinese literature and culture, drawing from his personal experiences and observations, employing the technique of "hiding the truth behind false language" to narrate his life's journey and insights. Its profound and rich content, poetic narrative, colorful character portrayals, and heartfelt plots impart it with eternal charm. The study of Dream of the Red Mansions, or "Redology," has flourished endlessly due to this masterpiece.
