I know of it and I know in world literature it is way up there! Yet I have barely touched the surface, despite it being in my eBook Library on Calibre in my laptop for some years now.
See Wikipedia.
Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou Meng) or The Story of the Stone (Shitou Ji) is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for its psychological scope, and its observation of the worldview, aesthetics, life-styles, and social relations of 18th-century China.
It came to my mind yesterday because of this video publicising the latest edition of the China Story Yearbook from ANU’s Australian Centre on China in the World, possibly the best source I know on all things China.
In the video Annie Ren provides an overview of China’s demographic trends, which led to the implementation of the Three-Child Policy. She cites a creative response mocking the Policy, as part of the wider outcry on social media. Written as a parody of a song from the eighteenth century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, the response offers insight into the challenges faced by young Chinese today and the important role literature plays in shaping their views and experiences of contemporary China.
Then I recalled a song, the theme in fact of a Chinese TV serialisation of The Red Chamber Dream. I first heard it around 30 years ago on a cassette I had of the Guo Brothers. So many times you would have heard this had you visited me in Redfern or Surry Hills 1990-2010! It is a favourite.
I learn now that a piano concerto version was premiered in Beijing in 2014.
There was a new serial of the story in 2009-10.
Finally, another version of the music.
Neil's Commonplace Book 