Listen to this articleA great master of Chinese classical novels
Overview
Chinese Name: 曹雪芹
English Name: Cao Xueqin
Other Names: Cao Zhan 曹霑
Born: about May 28, 1715
Died: about February 12, 1763
Achievements:
Create the Chinese classic masterpiece — Dream of Red Mansions 创作中国古典巨著《红楼梦》
Main Works:
Dream of Red Mansions 《红楼梦》
Brief Biography of Cao Xueqin
Cao Xueqin is the author of the Chinese classic Dream of Red Mansions 红楼梦.
Cao Xueqin (about May 28, 1715 – about February 12, 1763), courtesy name Mengruan 梦阮, art name Xueqin, was born in Jiangning 江宁 (today’s Nanjing 南京). He is the grandson of Cao Yin 曹寅 and the son of Cao Yong 曹顒.
In his early years, he experienced a rich and elegant life in the Jiangning Weaving Mansion in Nanjing. Great grandfather Cao Xi 曹玺 was Jiangning Weaving; The great grandmother, Sun Shi, was the nanny of Emperor Kangxi 康熙皇帝; His grandfather, Cao Yin, was the accompanying reader and imperial bodyguard of Emperor Kangxi. Later, he took the post of Jiangning Weaving, and also served as the imperial envoy for salt inspection in the Huaihe River. He was very popular with Emperor Kangxi.
In the sixth year of Emperor Yongzheng 雍正’s reign (1728), his family was copied for being guilty of losing money. He moved back to their residence in Beijing 北京 with his family. Later, he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing and made a living by selling calligraphy and painting and being helped by his friends. Since then, the Cao family has been depressed and declining.
After a major turning point in his life, Cao Xueqin deeply felt the inconstancy of the world and had a more sober and profound understanding of feudal society. He despised power, stayed away from officialdom, and lived in poverty. He is naturally broad-minded and has a wide range of hobbies. He has studied gold and stone, poetry, painting, gardens, traditional Chinese medicine, darning, crafts, diet, etc. With perseverance and many years of hard work, he finally created a great work of great ideological and artistic value – Dream of Red Mansions. After he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing, he lived a poorer life.
In the 27th year of Qianlong 乾隆’s reign (1762), when his youngest son died, he was trapped in excessive sadness and grief and was bedridden. On New Year’s Eve (February 12), the 28th year of Qianlong’s reign (1763), he died of poverty and disease.
Personal Life and Major Contributions
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At the end of the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, Cao Xueqin grew as old as a year and began to shoulder the burden of his family. Gradually, he was able to help Cao Fu 曹頫 with housework. Cao Xueqin came out to receive Cao Fu’s friends because Cao Fu was too lazy to socialize.
He met some political and business celebrities and literary predecessors. Under their influence, he set up a lofty ambition to write books and speak morally. He gradually eliminated the pedantry and infatuation of his childhood. He worked hard to revive his family. He once studied hard, visited teachers and friends, and paid homage to dignitaries in the imperial court.
Die of poverty and disease
Cao Xueqin continued to write “Dream of Red Mansions” after he returned to Beijing after traveling south. In the 27th year of Qianlong’s reign (1762), Cao Xueqin was 48 years old. He was bedridden because of the death of his young son and was caught in excessive sadness and grief. He died of illness in Beijing on New Year’s Eve of about that year.
Dun Cheng 敦诚 wrote “Memorizing Cao Xueqin 《挽曹雪芹》”, Dun Min 敦敏 wrote “Drinking in the River and Memorizing Cao Xueqin 《河干集饮题壁兼吊雪芹》”.
In the 44th year of Qianlong’s reign (1779), Cao Xueqin had already dead 17 years, and Dun Cheng wrote a letter to his eldest brother (Dun Min) in memory of Cao Xueqin.
Dream of Red Mansions 《红楼梦》
Cao Xueqin’s greatest contribution lies in his literary creation. His novel Dream of Red Mansions is grand in scale, rigorous in structure, complex in plot and vivid in the description. It has created many artistic images with typical characters. It can be called the peak of ancient Chinese novels and plays an important role in the history of world literature.
Cao Xueqin has left precious cultural heritage and spiritual wealth for the Chinese nation and the people of the world. He has not only had a profound impact on the creation of future generations of writers but also produced a large number of outstanding derivative works in painting, film and television, animation, online games, and other fields. The academic and social research and discussion around the author, version, text, skills, and other aspects of Dream of Red Mansions have even formed a special knowledge – Redology.
