[Photo/ english.cguardian.com]

5. Dream of the Red Chamber

The painting’s character comes from theDream of the Red Chamber, which is considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature and is generally acknowledged to be the pinnacle of Chinese fiction. The novel provides a detailed, episodic record of two branches of the wealthy and aristocratic Jia clan—the Rongguo House and the Ningguo House. Jia clan’s ancestors were given imperial titles, and as the novel begins, the two houses are the wealthiest families with high prestige in the city. But eventually the Jia clan falls into disfavor with the emperor, and their mansions are raided and confiscated.

The female character in the left painting is called Qingwen, the hero Jia Baoyu's personal maid. The painting depicts the scene of Qingwen mending Jia Baoyu’s cloak. The female character in the right painting is the heroine Lin Daiyu, who is a well-educated, intelligent and beautiful young woman. The romance between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu forms one of the main threads of the novel.

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