Book: Dream of the Red Chamber
Author: Tsao Hsueh-Chin (translator), Chi-Chen Wang (original Chinese author 1717-1763)
Publisher, date of publication: London: Vision Press, 1973, c1959. 4th edition, 16th printing 1973
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction that chronicles the adventures of martial artists traditionally set in ancient China. This genre is a unique blend of the martial arts philosophy of xia developed down the centuries, and the country’s long history in wushu. Xia or “chivalry” is often translated as “knights,” “chivalrous warriors” or “knights-errant.”
Dream of the Red Chamber is set in mid-eighteenth century China during the reigns of Emperors Kang Hsi, Yung Cheng, and Chien Lung, during the so-called Kangschien Golden Age Dynasty, when China was governed by Manchu aristocrats who created social turbulence for selfish and political purposes. The author shows the reality of the time using definitive in-depth descriptions of the story’s four main families (Chia, Shih, Wang, and Hsueh).
The basic storyline focuses primarily on the Chia family and in particular showcases the tragic love story between Chia Pao-yu and Lin Tai-yu (Black Jade) who want desperately to be free to marry each other. The heads of the Chia family, Lady Dowager, Chia Cheng, Lady Wang, and Wang His-feng decide that Hsueh Pao-chai is a better choice as Pao-yu’s bride instead of the beautiful, but sickly and rebellious Lin Tai-yu. They believe that Pao-yu and Pao-chai make a perfect couple and that their marriage will be a symbolic union between a “precious jade” and a “golden locket.” When the women become aware of Pao-yu’s deep love for Tai-yu, they forge a deceitful plan where they tell Pao-yu that he will get his wish and be married to Lin Tai-yu, while secretly they plan to have him marry Pao-chai.
Unfortunately, when the secret is leaked to Tai-yu that Pao-yu will indeed marry Pao-chi, she becomes deathly ill and eventually dies, lonely and grief-stricken on the wedding day. Pao-yu, still unaware of the Tai-yu’s death and being deceived by the matriarchs of the family, is happy to go through with the wedding because he assumes his bride will be his choice Lin Tai-yu. After the formality of the ceremony is over and Pao-yu realizes that he is married to Hsueh Pao-chai and not his chosen bride, he goes out of his mind.
There are many conflicts undermining this enormously complex household. The disagreements between masters and servants, wives and concubines, lineal descendants and sons and daughters by concubines, and other internal struggles, lead to the characters plotting against each other and several suicides. In the end, various tragedies and embarrassments overshadow the family’s splendor but in the end they are saved by the Emperor’s general amnesty pardon, which allowed the family to regain some of its former glory.
This novel is rich and detailed and depicts with artistic appeal and succinctness the hidden crises and various kinds of intricate social conflicts of the declining feudal society, while offering us many unique characteristics of the many different people.
Though the original novel touches on the lives of some 400 plus characters, in Tsao Huseuh-Chin’s translated version, he has chosen only to highlight the lives of the more important characters, which still numbers to 56. The characters are listed in no particular order with minute information about each one.
Chia Chen: Chia Ching’s son; Madame Yu’s husband. Chia Chen is a dissipated person and has an illicit relationship with his daughter-in-law. His son Chia Jung is married to Chin Ko-ching.
Chia Ching: a Taoist devotee; Chia Tai-hua’s son; father of Chia Chen and Hsi-chun. He gives up his noble title and devotes the rest of his life to studying religion and taking elixirs every day, hoping to become an immortal.
Hsi-chun (Compassion Spring): Chia Ching’s daughter. She is on good terms with the nun Miao-yu and is planning on becoming a nun herself.
Chia Jung: Chia Chen’s son. His father buys him a position as an officer of the fifth rank in the Imperial Guard. Chia Jung is a dissolute person, dallying with beautiful girls whenever he can.
Chin Ko-ching: Chia Jung’s wife; she comes from a poor scholar’s family. Her brother Chin Chung is a good friend of Pao-yu.
Lady Dowager (the Matriarch): Daughter of Marquis Shih of Chinling; wife of Chia Tai-shan, who has been dead for many years. She has two sons, Chia Sheh and Chia Cheng, and a daughter, Chia Min. She is so attached to her grandsons and granddaughters that she makes them study in the Jung Mansion so that she can be near them.
Chia Sheh: Son of Lady Dowager. After the death of his father, he inherits the title of Duke of Jungkuo. He is a lecher who fancies beautiful girls and bullies weaklings. He is arrested, but is released because of the Emperor’s amnesty.
Lady Hsing: Chia Sheh’s wife. Her dissatisfaction and jealousy cause her to urge Lady Wang to declare that a search be made throughout the Grand View Garden.
Chia Lien: Chia Sheh’s son; Wang Hsi-feng’s husband. Like others, he too is dissolute and secretly marries Second Sister Yu so that she can be his concubine.
Wang Hsi-feng (Phoenix): Chia Lien’s wife; Lady Wang’s niece. She is pretty, clever, and competent; she is also talkative, greedy, and cunning. She runs the Chia household affairs expertly, but sometimes uses her power and position to bully the weak. She dies a tragic death.
Chiao-chieh: Pretty daughter of Chia Lien and Wang Hsi-feng.
Chia Cheng: Younger son of Lady Dowager. Upon the death of his father, the Emperor gives him the rank of Assistant Secretary; then he rises to the rank of Under Secretary in the Board of Works. He is strict with his son, Pao-yu, hoping that Pao-yu will enhance the family reputation.
Ying-chun (Welcome Spring): Chia Sheh’s daughter by a concubine. She is a lenient, weak girl and finally marries the villain Sun Shaotsu.
Lady Chao: Chia Cheng’s concubine. Her son, Chia Huan, hates Pao-yu and plots with his mother to kill Pao-yu.
Chia Chu: Lady Wang’s elder son. He passes the district examination at fourteen, marries before he is twenty, and has a son, Chia Lan, but suddenly falls ill and dies, leaving a widow, Li Wan.
Li Wan: Wife of Chia Cheng’s late son Chia Chu. Her son Chia Lan finally passes the official examination, along with Pao-yu. She takes no interest in the outside world, content to wait on her elders and look after her son.
Yuan-chun: Chia Cheng’s daughter. Her name is symbolic of the fact that she was born on the first day of the year. While she is still a young woman, she is chosen as the Imperial concubine, and the Grand View Garden is built for the purpose of her first royal visit home.
Chia Pao-yu: Chia Cheng’s son; he came into the world with a piece of clear, brilliantly colored jade in his mouth. He is strongly attached to the girls in Grand View Garden. He isn’t interested in honors, advancement, or an official reputation. The feudal marriage system prevents him from marrying Lin Tai-yu, the girl whom he loves most. In the end, he goes away with a monk.
Hsueh Pao-chai (Precious Virtue): Aunt Hsueh’s daughter, Chia Pao-yu’s wife. She is a filial daughter and a faithful wife, a model of the feudal, ethical norm.
Tan-chun (Quest Spring): Chia Cheng’s daughter by the concubine Lady Chao. She is a competent, but rebellious girl. She organizes a poetry club for the girls in Grand View Garden.
Lin Ju-hai: Lady Dowager’s son-in-law; Lin Tai-yu’s father.
Lin Tai-yu (Black Jade): Lin Ju-hai’s daughter, Lady Dowager’s granddaughter. Upon her mother’s death, Tai-yu comes to live with the Chia family. She is a delicate and outstandingly intellectual girl, although a bit sentimental. She loves Chia Pao-yu very much, but her delicate health and sharp tongue keep her from being in favor with Lady Dowager and Lady Wang. She dies for her ideal of love.
Chia Tai-ju: Principal of the Chia family clan school; Chia Jui’s grandfather.
Chia Jui: Chia Tai-ju’s grandson. He is an amorous person but meets his match when he tries to flirt with Wang Hsi-feng. He dies because of one of Hsi-feng’s cunning tricks.
Shih Hsiang-yun (River Mist): Lady Dowager’s granddaughter; Pao-yu’s cousin. She comes often to see Lady Dowager and stays with the girls of the Chia family. She is pretty and talented.
Aunt Hsueh: Hsueh Pao-chai’s mother, from the Wang family. She has one son, Hsueh Pan, a good-for-nothing who kills two persons. He is arrested for the second murder but is pardoned by an amnesty.
Hsia Chin-kuei: Daughter of a royal merchant; Hsueh Pan’s wife. She is pretty but treacherous. She mistreats Hsueh Pan’s concubine Hsiang-ling badly and, at one point, plots to poison her, but poisons herself by mistake.
Hsiang-ling: Chen Shih-yin’s daughter, Ying-lien (Lotus). She is kidnapped by Hsueh Pan and taken as his concubine; she marries him and dies in childbirth.
Pao-chan: Hsueh Pan’s concubine. She plots with Hsia Chin-kuei to win Hsueh Ko’s hand.
Hsueh Ko: Hsueh Pan’s cousin. He is a kind, honest, and helpful person. He finally marries Hsiu-yen, the daughter of Lady Hsing’s brother and sister-in-law.
Hsiu-yen: A girl from a poor family, but an honest and sensible girl. She is betrothed to Hsueh Ko, and, after marriage, they prove to be a happy couple.
Pao-chin: Hsueh Ko’s sister. She is a talented girl and has traveled to many places with her parents. She marries the son of Academician Mei.
Bailiff Wu: Bailiff of the manor in Black Mountain Village. He comes to pay taxes and rent in kind to the Chia family every year.
Leng Tzu-hsing: Son-in-law of Mr. Chou Jui (the steward of the Chia family), a curio-dealer in a village tavern. He only does business with rich families.
Chen Shih-yin: He lives in the city of Kusu with his wife and daughter Ying-lien (Lotus). After his daughter disappears and his house burns, he goes off with a Taoist monk to faraway places and finally becomes a Taoist himself.
Chia Yu-tsun: A poor scholar, he is appointed as the prefect of Yingtian with the help of Chen Shih-yin. He is an ungrateful person, seeking only fame and fortune. He is finally reduced to an ordinary citizen.
Miao-yu: A nun from Iron Threshold Temple. An unconventional person, her eccentricity makes her look down upon all vulgar people. Finally she is kidnapped and killed by brigands.
Third Sister Yu: A past wanton, she is now reformed. Her failure to marry Liu Hsiang-lien causes her to commit suicide with one of Liu’s swords in front of him.
Second Sister Yu: Madame Yu’s second sister. She marries Chia Lien as his concubine and is finally driven to suicide by Hsi-feng.
Granny Liu: A peasant woman; mother-in-law of one of Lady Wang’s remote clansmen. She is simple, honest, and wise. She visits the Chia family three times, the first two times for financial assistance. The extravagant life in the Chia Mansion is presented vividly through her visits to the Chia family.
Liu Hsiang-lien: An orphaned son of a good family. He teaches Hsueh Pan a lesson by giving him a good beating. His uprightness makes him break his betrothal to Third Sister Yu because he thinks that there is nothing clean in the Chia family. He wants to have no association with them.
Lin Chi-hsiao and His Wife: Steward and stewardess of the Chia family.
Lai Ta: Chia Cheng’s steward.
Chiao Ta: A servant and benefactor of Chia Chen’s father and grandfather. He is a loyal and outspoken servant and looks down on Chia Chen and Chia Jung, calling them descendants of a houseful of rotting dogs and bitches in heat.
Ho San: Chou Jui’s adopted son. Chia Lien has him whipped because he fights with Pao-erh. This causes him to conspire with outside brigands and rob the old lady of her gold and silver. Ironically, he is killed by Pao Jung during the robbery.
Yuan-yang: Lady Dowager’s favorite maid. She refuses Chia Sheh’s proposal to be his concubine. When Lady Dowager dies, Yuan-yang hangs herself in an act of devotion.
Hsi-jen (Pervading Fragrance): Originally served Lady Dowager, but was given to Pao-yu as his servant. She is loyal to both Lady Dowager and Pao-yu and tries her best to help Pao-yu to study hard so that he can continue the Chia family’s reputation as scholars. She marries Chiang Yu-han (Chi-kuan).
Li Kuei: Son of Pao-yu’s wet nurse, Nanny Li; a man-servant to Pao-yu.
Ching-wen (Bright Design): Pao-yu’s maid. She is rebellious against all unfair treatment. Lady Wang is prejudiced against her and dismisses her. After she arrives home, she falls ill and dies.
Tzu-chuan: Tai-yu’s devoted maid. After Tai-yu’s death, she is asked to serve in Pao-yu’s quarters. She offers to join in Hsi-chun’s devotion to Buddhism.
Chin-chuan: Lady Wang’s maid. Lady Wang has seen Pao-yu flirting with her and dismisses her. Once home, she drowns herself in a well.
Mrs. Liu: A cook for the Chia family. Her daughter Liu Wu-erh serves in Pao-yu’s quarters.
Liu Wu-erh: Mrs. Liu’s daughter. She looks like Ching-wen and serves in Pao-yu’s apartment.
Numskull: A maid who does rough work for Lady Dowager. She unintentionally reveals to Tai-yu the secret of whom Pao-yu will eventually marry. This news is responsible for Tai-yu’s death.
Mr. Chen Ying-chia: A Chinling native of noble ancestry; principal of the Chinling Provincial College. The Chen and Chia families are interrelated and have a warm, friendly relationship. When the Chens’ house is raided and searched, he sends his servant Pao Jung to serve Chia Cheng.
Chen Pao-yu: He looks exactly like Chia Pao-yu; He too likes to be in the company of girls, but he is very interested in seeking fame and fortune.
The elements of character, plot, setting, and language all play an integral and important role in this story. The elements all intermingle with each other to provide the novel’s rich backdrop and captivating characters. Because life in mid-eighteenth century aristocratic families was so unique, this novel would have been deeply lacking if the author did not take the time to develop his vast cast of characters. Before reading this story, I read the author’s biography and found that he was writing from first-hand experience; therefore when I began to read this novel, I could vividly see the difficult, affluent and corruptible world in which he lived and where this story takes place. I believe this was a chronological and framed work – framed, because a majority of the events take place within the four main households, and chronological, because the story’s events are woven in the daily lives of each and every character. The major theme is the tragic love story of Pao-yu and Tai-yu but it is closely related and interwoven with the minor theme – the rise and fall of the Chin family and thereby all feudal families of that era. The lovers’ tragedy puts a spotlight on the conflicts and struggles between the two opposing political forces – those defending feudal social order and those fighting against it. The story’s narrative is also based on the prediction in Pao-yu’s dream, years earlier, when Pao-yu found himself in a fairyland, where he met a goddess and was shown the register of the Twelve Beauties of Chinling that spelled disaster for everyone. This novel highlights the corruption and licentiousness of the Ching Dynasty and the inescapable end of a long-established feudal system that was expertly shown through the prosperity and decline of the novel’s four major families. I believe the point of view chosen was third person omniscient, even though the author can often times be found in the minds of various characters, sometimes at the same time. Having chosen a male, Pao-yu, as the main character, placing him in a matriarchal world does create some imbalances, especially when the reader sees that he does not act like any of the other males of that time. Pao-yu is very effeminate and prefers to hang around the girls. He is even given pause because he is the favorite of the head matriarch, who allows him free reign, though we constantly see him butting heads with his father who is sometimes unnecessarily harsh with him because he wants him to succeed in life. This creates a dichotomy between the father and the head matriarch who do not agree with Pao-yu’s treatment.
This story is about life in aristocratic families. It is somewhat effective in that it talks about life in the Emperor’s court, and the various maids and their positions in the aristocratic household. I am not sure of the effectiveness of this work as it presents the one-sided view of the author, though he does at times try to balance it all. I would like to believe this story could have been written with fewer characters, but if that were not possible, I would try to make each character’s interaction much easier to understand and follow.
This epic length novel (originally 3 volumes) is a balanced mixture of social commentary, with various themes that touch on Buddhism, Taoism, and feminism. The author’s masterful tale of a tragic love story is ripe with its unabashed use of symbolism and allegory to weave the tale. This book was very interesting to read and I liked the story even though at times I got lost as there are so many characters to keep up with. Although martial arts is not a part of this story, it is still a fantastic portrayal of aristocratic life in ancient China. This story continues to have a profound social significance and high historical value.
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although you definition of the genre Wuxia is accurate, the Dream of read chamber is not a Wexia fiction at all, not even close. It‘s like calling Romeo and Juliet a Knight novel. I am totally confused about the connection between the 1st paragraph and the rest
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I was delighted to find reference to the twelve beauties of Chinling. A friend brought me 12 wooden ‘spills’ (like ornate spatulars 12cms or so long) back from her trip to Hong Kong many years ago. Each has a drawing of one of the maidens carrying out a task. The leaflet accompanying them states: “Though they are intelligent and of noble birth, they are unable to escape the tragical destiny of the women in the feudal society.” I was hoping to identify them and what they were doing. Any ideas?….
i could not stand this book after a while – too many characters, too many boring tea parties and poetry sessions and little plot development – too much to wade through – maybe something got lost in translation – i got thru book 1 and 2 on the gutenberg site – didn’t bother to read book 3 – the worst reading experience i’ve had in years