Renowned painter Fan Zeng portrays Cao Xueqin.(Source: China Daily)

    BEIJING, June 11 -- Who is the "Shakespeare of China"? Certainly, he's Cao Xueqin, author of Dream of the Red Chamber. The number, individuality, complexity and rich depth of this great work's characters exceeded those of Shakespeare's 36 or 37 plays. So, it's not an exaggeration when Chinese compare Cao to Shakespeare and praise him as a pride of the nation.

    In China, "Red Chamber craze" and "Red fans" have become fashionable phrases. Moreover, there is the term "Redology", which refers to academic studies of this novel. This is interesting, because when I was a 17-year-old middle school student, I studied English very hard in order to translate and introduce this literary wonder to the readers of the world. I also coined the term "Redology", which, I am honored to say, academic circles have recognized and applied extensively in recent years.

    I worship Cao Xueqin. Four of the more than 30 kinds of books I've published on Redology have been biographies about Cao. Through research, I have proven that Cao was born on the 26th day of the fourth month on the ancient Chinese lunar calendar in 1724. On this day every year, I must pay homage to him by burning incense, eating the "longevity noodle" and composing poems to commemorate this precious "Red Letter Day".

    Dream of the Red Chamber is considered a great wonder worthy of the love and reverence of all Chinese. To me, this book takes the form of a novel, but it is a great tragedy in essence, and its artistic style is that of splendid poetry. This is the first of three dimensions of this work.

    The second is this work's wonderful mixture of culture, history and philosophy.

    And the third is the combination of the cream of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist philosophies, which serve as the backbone of Chinese culture.

    Above all, with exceptional literary grace, the author expresses his pursuit of "truth, good and beauty". He also conveys mortification from, and rebellion against, all acts and words that blemish and destroy truth, good and beauty.

    Dream of the Red Chamber focuses on women, who were as a group discriminated against, repressed and flirted with in traditional Chinese society. The book relates their truthfulness, kindness and beauty while conveying their undue mishaps and tragic fates.

    The author talks about the bitter experiences of the female gender at large, whom he referred to as "thousands of beautiful flowers and blossoms" ("qianhong", "wanyan"). This should not be confused, disgraced or counterfeited by obscene replicas of this work, which feature "a love triangle" or "two girls vying for one man".

    Looking from the perspective of peak of the spiritual world, Dream of the Red Chamber aims to convey the truthful interrelationship of mankind - namely, "benevolence", "affection" and "forbearance", which are principles of Chinese culture. "Forbearance" (shu), as raised by Confucius, means "do not do to others what you would not have them do to you".

    In 1793, the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in the French Revolution introduced this Confucian concept. Exactly 200 years later, the Parliament of the World's Religions passed the Chicago Declaration of the Religions for a Global Ethic. German theologian Hans Kung proposed that this concept of Confucius should be a general principle followed by mankind.

    But in Dream of the Red Chamber, the chief character Jia Baoyu has furthered this concept to showing less concern for oneself than for others - what others (women) need, I must try to provide for them, taking nothing else into account.

    The author Cao Xueqin has created his own, more complete and proactive ideals, which he hoped could make society, and even the world at large, more honest, sublime and harmonious. He purported that his "main interest is in discussing 'qing'."

    The term "qing", which roughly translates as "love", is a true feeling and sentiment. It is a complex and subtle term, which is very difficult to adequately translate into English. To Cao Xueqin, "qing" was a completely selfless, all-embracing, spiritual and aesthetic way of thinking, which made people sympathetic, considerate, compassionate and empathetic towards others.

    From this point of view, Cao can be regarded as the first new sage in modern history, following ancient sages Laozi, Zhuangzi, Confucius, Mengcius, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi. And Cao's novel is comparable to the classics of earlier periods.

    This year, we should have a better celebration of Cao's birthday. The fourth month of the lunar calendar is traditionally known as a "bright and warm" month. What a wonderful bright and warm season it truly is, when such an unparalleled literary star was born.

    It was the work of this giant literary master that led readers to start thinking and gradually comprehend the meaning and value of life, and the origin, duty and mission of "mankind". Mankind has desire, which causes feelings of "longing for more" and selfishness. But "qing" is totally altruistic.

    Cao has raised the sublimity of Chinese culture to a new level, exceeding the attainments of previous novels in both nature and literature to create a glorious milestone that no one has yet surpassed.

    Because of this, I have been "obsessed" with this author and his work, and I pay homage to him on his birthday. How could this be a trivial "thing of leisure"?

    (Source: China Daily)