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Cover of Hong Lou Meng by Cao Xueqin

Hong Lou Meng

Cao Xueqin

  • 966 pages · about 16 hours
  • First published 1900
  • 152 editions
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1 About this book

Dream of the Red Chamber (simplified Chinese: 红楼梦; traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢; pinyin: hónɡ lóu mènɡ, also translated as Red Chamber Dream, A Dream of Red Mansions) or The Story of the Stone (simplified Chinese: 石头记; traditional Chinese: 石頭記; pinyin: shí tóu jì) is an 18th-century Chinese novel authored by Cao Xueqin, considered to be one of the Four Great Classic Novels of Chinese literature. It is known for its psychological scope and its observation of the worldview, aesthetics, lifestyles, and social relations of High Qing China.

The intricate strands of its plot depict the rise and decline of a family much like Cao's own. Cao depicts the power of the father over the family, but the novel is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • China
  • Qing Dynasty
  • Near and far eastern fiction
  • Upper class
  • Social life and customs
  • Family life
  • Women
  • Popular Print Disabled Books

2 About Cao Xueqin

1717–1763

Cao Xueqin ( tsow sh'weh-chin; 4 April 1710 – 10 June 1765) was a Chinese novelist and poet during the Qing dynasty. He is best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. His given name was Cao Zhan (曹霑) and his courtesy name was Mengruan.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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