Dream of the Red Mansions, an ancient Chinese long fictional novel in the chapter-style genre, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The widely circulated version consists of 120 chapters, with the first 80 chapters generally attributed to Cao Xueqin, a writer of the Qing Dynasty, and the last 40 chapters to an anonymous author, with Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E as the editors. Set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of the four prominent families—Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue—the novel adopts the perspective of Jia Baoyu, a wealthy young nobleman. It centers on the tragic love and marriage between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai, portraying the diverse lives of women in boudoirs and revealing the true beauty of humanity and tragedy. It is an epic work that showcases female beauty and the various aspects of ancient Chinese society from multiple perspectives.
There are two major versions of Dream of the Red Mansions: the 120-chapter "Cheng Edition" and the 80-chapter "Zhi Edition." The Cheng Edition is a printed version published by Cheng Weiyuan, while the Zhi Edition consists of early manuscripts copied and annotated by Zhiyanzhai at different times, serving as the basis for the Cheng Edition.
Dream of the Red Mansions is a novel of human relationships with worldwide influence, an encyclopedia of Chinese feudal society, and a compendium of traditional culture. The author motivated himself with the principle of "discussing love in general and recording events truthfully," adhering to his own understanding of events and tracing their development, thereby breaking away from conventional clichés and achieving remarkable artistic accomplishments. The unique writing style of "concealing the truth while presenting falsehoods" has inspired countless speculations among later readers. Since the 20th century, Dream of the Red Mansions has given rise to a specialized field of study known as Redology in academic circles, thanks to its profound ideological depth and exceptional artistic achievements.
Dream of the Red Mansions narrates the story of the Crimson Pearl Fairy by the Western Paradise's Spiritual River and the Three Lives Stone, who, to repay the irrigation kindness of the Divine Jade Attendant, vows to repay him with her lifelong tears and accompanies him to earth to endure hardships. Jia Baoyu is the reincarnation of the Divine Jade Attendant, while Lin Daiyu is the reincarnation of the Crimson Pearl Fairy, and their fateful union is known as the "Preordained Union of Wood and Stone." The stubborn stone left over from Nuwa's efforts to mend the heavens in ancient times possesses spiritual powers and becomes the "Spiritual Jade" that Jia Baoyu is born with. The story of the "Spiritual Jade" experiencing the joys and sorrows of the world is known as The Story of the Stone, which is also Dream of the Red Mansions.
Dream of the Red Mansions emerged in the late 18th century, during the final stage of China's feudal society. At that time, the Qing government implemented a policy of isolation, and the entire country was immersed in the illusion of the prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong eras, believing China to be the superior celestial kingdom. On the surface, it seemed peaceful, but in reality, social contradictions were intensifying, and the entire dynasty had reached a turning point from prosperity to decline.
During the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, four generations of the Cao family served as the directors of the Jiangning Textile Bureau for a total of 58 years. At the height of the Cao family's prosperity, they hosted grand receptions for the emperor four times. Cao Xueqin grew up in Nanjing and experienced a luxurious aristocratic lifestyle in his youth. However, as the family's fortunes declined, they were punished for financial deficiencies in the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign (1728) and their property was confiscated, forcing the Cao family to move back to Beijing. After returning to Beijing, Cao Xueqin worked as a clerk in charge of literary matters at the "Right Wing Imperial Academy," a royal school, where he lived in poverty and faced many hardships. In his later years, he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing, where he lived in even greater poverty, with "overgrown paths and weeds" and "the family often borrowing rice and wine to survive." Dream of the Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin in poverty after his family's bankruptcy. It was created between the early years of Emperor Qianlong's reign and around the 30th year of his reign (1736~1765).
The first paragraph of the first chapter of Dream of the Red Mansions, titled "The Author's Preface," is Cao Xueqin's autobiography. In this preface, Cao Xueqin appears in his true identity and narrates the origin of the novel to the readers. According to his account, he wrote the book based on the prosperous old dreams he experienced in Nanjing during his youth. Stranded in the western suburbs of Beijing, feeling unaccomplished and aimless, he suddenly recalled the girls from his youth, realizing that their insights and talents far surpassed his own, filling him with deep regret. His ancestors had endured countless hardships to build the family fortune, yet he had squandered his privileged upbringing, disobeying his parents and teachers, resulting in a life of failure and poverty. Cao Xueqin wrote this novel based on his experiences and realizations, aiming to tell readers that although he is guilty, the girls in the story are real people, and their stories should not be erased to cover up his own wrongdoings. This thought inspires him, making all difficulties seem insignificant. Furthermore, the peaceful and picturesque country life stimulates his creativity, allowing him to write with ease and inspiration. Cao Xueqin, humbly acknowledging his limited talent and knowledge, chose to write the novel in colloquial language, intending to chronicle the lives of these girls, alleviate his own melancholy, and provide readers with a work to enjoy and appreciate.
