Cao Xueqin

Dream of the Red Chamber Cao Xueqin

Dream of the Red Chamber, sometimes published as Red Chamber Dream or A Dream of Red Mansions, is a mostly fictional novel that also has some autobiographical elements. The book is one of the longest in ancient Chinese history, with more than 2,000 pages. The author's name can either be translated as Cao Xueqin, the most common translation, or Tsao Hseuh-Chin. In 1791-92, an additional amount of text was added by author Gao E. Dream of the Red Chamber begins with a long preface that helps introduce the text. Many scholars and readers alike find the book quite difficult to comprehend, as it is written in older Chinese and has several hundred characters.