The novel enduring popularity and quality as a magical window into the Chinese mind can be attested to by sinologist John Minford, who was involved in the complete translation of The Dream of the Red Chamber in the 1980s: “Mention of it elicits an instant gleam of recognition and opens up new avenues of communication.” Simultaneously, it is a massive challenge. The reader must process well over 300 characters with names that all sound similar to the Western ear, depending on the edition and translation.
It’s an eclectic mix of enigmatic, expressionistic prose and poetry on the one hand, and realistic, biting social criticism on the other. The sexual act is defined as a “Cloud and Rain Sport,” mortal illnesses are cured with tasty swallows’ nests (or not), and tea is made from the previous year’s melted snow. The novel’s main characters appear surprisingly familiar at times, and strangely alien at others to the Western reader. Reading the book is like looking at an intricate Chinese painting from that era: precise lines, perfect composition, opulent coloration – but also a window into another world.
Table of Contents
The Magic Stone
Shih-yin, a well-deserving citizen, has an unusual dream: A Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk with a bald head are wandering through an unknown land, discussing the Precious Jade of Spiritual Understanding, a magical jade stone in their possession of The Dream of the Red Chamber. They show it to Shih-yin, and as his dream comes to an end, he sees his companions walk through a high stone archway emblazoned with the words “The Visionary Great Void’s limits.” On the pillars, he writes a couplet:
Later, he meets his next-door neighbour Yu Tsun, a poor but well-educated young man. Yin pays for his neighbor’s trip to Peking so that he can pass the state examination there. However, Shih-yin is beset by terrible misfortune in the years that follow. His only child is kidnapped, and then his city house burns down. He retires to the countryside, impoverished and bitter, to live off the land. One day, a wandering Taoist stumbles along, murmuring verses about the fleeting nature of worldly possessions and happiness. Shih-yin abandons everything and follows the man into the unknown.
Black Jade and Precious Stone
Yu Tsun loses his position at the Imperial Court as a result of his arrogant and disrespectful behaviour. He travels for several years before becoming the tutor of Black Jade, the only daughter of a noble family to which he is distantly related. The Dream of the Red Chamber Yu Tsun learns strange things about the Chia clan in his new position. Chia Pao-yu, Madame Shih Lady Dowager’s 12-year-old grandson, was born with a gleaming jade stone in his mouth. The boy can’t stop thinking about girls, which upsets his father, Chia Cheng.
When Black Jade’s mother passes away, her grandmother Lady Dowager takes the 12-year-old to the family mansion. There are marble lions and golden dragons everywhere, and the many living quarters and pavilions are brightly coloured and richly ornamented, filling the girl with awe. Her cousin Pao-yu outshines her in splendour. His fine features are picture-perfect, and his eyes are filled with emotion. She chooses him as her soul mate right away.
The Dream of the Red Chamber
Pao-yu takes a midday nap in his young relative Ko-delightfully ching’s perfumed and furnished room one day. In his dream, he meets the Goddess of Disenchantment, who tells him that she is in charge of settling debts between unhappily in love maidens and youths. She also orders him to keep his honourable ancestors’ family from falling into ruin. Then she leads him into a luxurious chamber, where he finds a young girl who looks like his beautiful cousin Precious Virtue but has the demeanour of Black Jade.
For the first time in the dream of the red chamber, he partakes in “the sport of cloud and rain” with her. Hsi-jen, his maid, is with him when he awakens from his dream. She understands what occurred and offers to introduce him to the game in the real world. Later, he notices that Precious Virtue is wearing a golden medallion with a saying that matches the one on his jade stone.
Ko-ching has been gravely ill since Pao-dream. yu’s She appears to her girlfriend Phoenix on the night of her death, pleading with her to put some of the family fortune into a foundation. True, she admits, the Chia clan remains strong and powerful. However, in good times, they should prepare for the inevitable bad times, just as blossoming is followed by decay. The foundation is intended to ensure the continuation of the family school and the quarterly ancestor sacrifices. Phoenix, on the other hand, disregards her dream. She is unconcerned about establishing a family foundation.
Phoenix, The Dream of the Red Chamber on the other hand, engages in shady deals to enrich herself. Following the solemn mourning ceremonies, the family learns that Pao-sister, yu’s Beginning of Spring, has been elevated to the rank of “noble and virtuous” Imperial wife of the first rank. Soon after, the Emperor issues a proclamation allowing all of his first and second wives to visit their families. He wishes to strengthen the children’s piety and devotion to their parents. Construction begins immediately in order to provide suitable accommodation for the arrival of Spring.
Grand View Garden
As a result, a magnificent park with shimmering lakes and foaming waterfalls, twisting paths and flowery fields, straw-thatched farmhouses and magnificent palaces has been created by the dream of the red chamber. Pao-yu excels at creating clever mottos and inscriptions for the numerous lookout points, rest areas, and pavilions. The Imperial chief eunuch comes to inspect the grounds a week before the Lantern Festival’s scheduled visit. He posts eunuchs all over the park to serve as guards and sentries.
Spring is choked with emotion, as she has missed her family terribly during her years of isolation in the palace. She names the magnificent grounds “Grand View Garden” and invites her brother Pao-yu and his cousins to a poetry contest to immortalise the park’s various locations in beautiful verses. Beginning of Spring is saddened by the prospect of the park lying idle and decaying after her brief visit. She directs Pao-yu, his cousins, and their maids to relocate to the new residence.
Tempestuous Love
The relationship between Black Jade and Pao-yu is volatile. Misunderstandings, violent quarrels, and tearful reconciliations alternate as the girl is envious of her cousin Precious Virtue and the maids. The girl is then driven out of the house after Pao-yu is caught trying to seduce the waiting maid Gold Ring. The maid commits suicide as a result of her grief. When Pao-father yu’s learns of the incident, he beats him until he collapses.
Madame Cheng, his mother, intervenes at the last moment and saves him from certain death. Cuckoo, Black Jade’s maid, now wants to put Pao-yu to the test by telling him that Black Jade will soon return to her home province. The news strikes the boy like a bolt of lightning, and he becomes gravely ill. After all, Black Jade hopes that after his recovery, he will love her as much as she loves him.
The Decline
Something is wrong in the The Dream of the Red Chamber at Grand View Garden. The servants engage in illegal gambling, theft, and other vices that spread like weeds. During a boisterous banquet hosted by Prince Chen, howling gusts of wind sweep across the park, and to make matters worse, the doors of the spirit porch in front of the Temple of Ancestors open and close with a loud bang, leaving the party with an uneasy feeling. The senior family members attempt to restore order by purging the servants.
Bright Cloud, Pao-favorite yu’s waiting maid, falls victim to it, despite the fact that she is entirely blameless. She is pursued while critically ill and dies soon after. The park becomes desolate and decays at The Dream of the Red Chamber. Cousin Taste of Spring marries a brute and moves away. Precious Virtue returns to live with her mother. Pao-yu is forced to return to the family school after a several-year absence.
Black Jade is also deteriorating. She has nightmares about being separated from Pao-yu and is coughing up blood. She believes he has been promised to another woman and nearly starves herself to death. Her good spirits return when the whole thing turns out to be a misunderstanding. However, Phoenix and Lady Dowager have decided that Pao-yu requires a more robust woman by his side. They are secretly planning his marriage to Precious Virtue. The withered side of a golden begonia tree blossoms in the middle of winter. Many people interpret this as a bad omen, and their worst fears are realised: Beginning of Spring, The Dream of the Red Chamber at the Imperial wife, dies of pneumonia, and Pao-magical yu’s stone vanishes. His personality drastically changes: he becomes listless, feeble-minded, and stupid.
What is the meaning of red chamber?
An idiomatic term for the Senate of Canada, the chamber that it meets.
Is The Dream of the Red Chamber a tragedy?
The Dream of the Red Chamber was the first incredible work of Chinese fiction to have a tragic ending, and its representation of the interactions of a large number of really well characters realised unexpected psychological depth. Read the whole story to know more.
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