Books with author CAO XUEQIN

The novel provides a detailed, episodic record of life in the two branches of the wealthy, aristocratic Jia (賈) clan—the Rongguo House (榮國府) and the Ningguo House (寧國府)—who reside in two large, adjacent family compounds in the capital. Their ancestors were made Dukes and given imperial titles, and as the novel begins the two houses are among the most illustrious families in the city. One of the clan’s offspring is made a Royal Consort, and a lush landscaped garden is built to receive her visit. The novel describes the Jias’ wealth and influence in great naturalistic detail, and charts the Jias’ fall from the height of their prestige, following some thirty main characters and over four hundred minor ones. Eventually the Jia clan falls into disfavor with the Emperor, and their mansions are raided and confiscated.In the novel's frame story, a sentient Stone, abandoned by the goddess Nüwa when she mended the heavens aeons ago, begs a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk to bring it with them to see the world. The Stone, along with a companion (in Cheng-Gao versions they are merged into the same character), is then given a chance to learn from the human existence, and enters the mortal realm.The main character of the novel is the carefree adolescent male heir of the family, Jia Baoyu. He was born with a magical piece of "jade" in his mouth. In this life he has a special bond with his sickly cousin Lin Daiyu, who shares his love of music and poetry. Baoyu, however, is predestined to marry another cousin, Xue Baochai, whose grace and intelligence exemplify an ideal woman, but with whom he lacks an emotional connection. The romantic rivalry and friendship among the three characters against the backdrop of the family's declining fortunes form the main story in the novel.

The classic eighteenth-century saga—a masterpiece of Chinese literature— about an aristocratic family and a forbidden love during the Qing dynasty. Considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, The Dream of the Red Chamber is believed to be a semiautobiographical account of author Cao Xueqin and his aristocratic family’s rise and fall, and focuses particularly on the women in his life, including servants. Originally circulated in hand-copied manuscripts, The Dream of the Red Chamber is not only rich with psychological insight, but also enlightening in its portrayal of Chinese society during the Qing dynasty. It is an engrossing epic of imperial politics, friendship, and romantic rivalry, with an extraordinary cast of characters.

This series is both a major cultural project which, for the first time ever, presents to the world a systematic and complete set of selected and translated Chinese classics, and a foundation project for showcasing the cream of traditional Chinese culture. The library will comprise more than 100 of the most representative classic works, covering literature, history, philosophy, politics, economy, military science, and science and technology. Works in classical prose have been translated first into modern Chinese, and then into English.

What, you may ask, was the origin of this book?Though the answer to this question may at first seem to border on the absurd, reflection will show that thereis a good deal more in it than meets the eye.Long ago, when the goddess Nu-wa was repairing the sky, she melted down a great quantity of rock and, onthe Incredible Crags of the Great Fable Mountains, moulded the amalgam into thirty-six thousand, five hundredand one large building blocks, each measuring seventy-two feet by a hundred and forty-four feet square. She usedthirty-six thousand five hundred of these blocks in the course of her building operations, leaving a single oddblock unused, which lay, all on its own, at the foot of Greensickness Peak in the aforementioned mountains.

Dream of the Red Chamber, also called The Story of the Stone, or Hongloumeng (simplified Chinese: 红楼梦; traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢; pinyin: Hónglóumèng), composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was written some time in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing dynasty. Long considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature, the novel is generally acknowledged to be one of the pinnacles of Chinese fiction. "Redology" is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work.The title has also been translated as Red Chamber Dream and A Dream of Red Mansions. The novel circulated in manuscript copies with various titles until its print publication, in 1791. Gao E, who prepared the first and second printed editions with his partner Cheng Weiyuan (程偉元) in 1791–92, added 40 additional chapters to complete the novel.

Paperback. Pub Date :2014-03-01 Pages: 494 Language: Chinese Publisher: rolls publishing company Wanjuan Chinese classics: Dream of Red Mansions in love marriage tragedy Jia Baoyu. Lin Daiyu. Xue between the main line. describing the Jia Jia represented to the king. the history. the rise and fall of four families Xue. revealing the intricate internal contradictions of the feudal family. create a number of vivid characters. reflecting the declining feudal society and the inevitable collapse historical trends. China rolls of floor classics: Dream of Red Mansions have become the Chinese fiction literature is difficult to conquer the peak. not only because it has a high ideological value. but also because of its remarkable artistic achievements. The book is the grand scale. structured. vivid characters. beautiful language. There are also some obvious artistic features worthy des...