I'm repulsed by this book which I viewed as close to godliness in my childhood. This is the book to read if you want to encounter Chinese mentality at its most powerful, intricate, insightful, and sincere form. I consider it beyond my ability to review this book, especially in the language of English, so all I can do is an advertisement. For many admirers for Cao Xueqin, myself included, we would be willing to sacrifice many years of our lives if we could read the original ending of this work which has been unfortunately lost. Hundreds and thousands of scholars have devoted their lives to the study of every single word of this work. It is ridiculous to think that you know Chinese literature/culture/philosophy without having read this book (even though I know that most people in China no longer read this). It is more important to Chinese literature than Shakespeare is to English literature. So, I find it necessary to clarify that The Dream of the Red Chamber is objectively the single most important literary work in the history of Chinese literature, or even one can say East Asian literature. I've heard people comparing it to The Plum in the Golden Vase, or categorizing it as a book about teenage relationships. The Dream of the Red Chamber isn't very popular among Western readers, and most well-read people on GR have never heard of this book, and even those who appreciate Chinese literature ignore it, probably finding it too long, too difficult, too boring (someone even said it's unaesthetic). Many times when life tosses me a certain peculiarity or uneasiness, I would remember and contemplate on a scene, a prose, a quotation, or a general idea about the fate of one of the character in this book, and suddenly I would feel easier and say to myself: this is life. It not only defines how I understand my national identity, but also serves as a foundation for my cognition and interpretation of almost everything.
It is hard to describe how much this book means to me. It is through the lens of love that Cao Xueqin reveals to the readers the dilemma, tragedy, and general condition of human life. I do think it is the best Chinese novel, but I wouldn't say it is the emblem because it departs greatly from the convention of Chinese literature and aims to reveal the hypocrisy of this convention which is its feigned integrity and disregard for love. Many believe that The Dream of the Red Chamber is emblematic of the climax of Chinese literature. Zhuangzi said that the desire for money is difficult to overcome, but the desire for fame is more difficult.
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