介绍:
Filled with more than 400 characters and over 1000 pages long, the Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the Four Greatest Classical Novels in Chinese literature.
The story details the rise and fall of the aristocratic Jia family during the Ming Dynasty. In the midst of it all is a tragic love triangle between the main male character Jia Baoyu and his two cousins, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. The plot is so complex that it even has its own academic field, known as Redology.
The book itself was written back in the 18th century and almost three hundred years later, it is still much loved by Chinese readers. Dream of the Red Chamber was so popular in China that in the1980s, a multi-episode TV series was made based on the book, and Daguanyuan or Grand View Garden, a major setting in the story, was built in Beijing for this purpose.
The garden is located not far from the Forbidden City, on Beijing's second ring road. In the novel, this is where Jia Baoyu and his female cousins lived. Ma Juntong is a curator for this place, which is also the Beijing Redology Culture Museum.
(SB 1, male, Chinese)
"Daguanyuan is built exactly as it is described in the books. For example, in Yihong Yard, the residence of Jia Baoyu, you'll see there's a rock. During construction, the redologists discussed where to put the rock for three days because there's no indication of where the rock should be placed in the book. In the end, they placed it behind the door as a screen to the rest of the complex."
(Music)
Entering the main gate, you can see the Spilling Jade Pavilion on the left side and if you follow that path, it will lead you to Happy Red Court, which is where Jia Baoyu stayed. Everything in here seems to have a name. The path that led me to Happy Red Court is called Winding Path To A Secluded Retreat.
Although the pavilion isn't a secluded retreat, it is beautifully constructed with green painted gates and a gray colored roof. The house inside is painted in bright red, which gives the place its name, and there are a lot of greeneries in here and a white stone bridge over a grove of overgrown shrubs.
Not far away from Happy Red Court is the dwelling of the love of Jia Baoyu, Lin Tai-yu. This place is called Bamboo Lodge and the house inside is painted green with black dots. According to the book, each of these dots represents a tear that Lin Tai-yu cried. And inside the house are wax figures of her and her maid. Lin is sitting next to an ancient instrument and yes, she is crying with tears rolling down her face.
Like its name, the yard is filled with bamboo. This is the exact scenery described in the book. The place is actually smaller than what's seen in the TV series. It's hard to imagine that the film crew back in the 1980s walking around in this small, cramped space.
Another place worth seeing in the park is the Alpinia Park, located in the northeast corner of this place. On the way here from Bamboo Lodge, you may pass Paddy Sweet Cottage, Studio of Autumn Freshness and the Pavilion of Variegated Splendour. Paddy Sweet Cottage is also the name of a famous bakery chain in the country.
You can see other places where important stories have taken place. However, Dream of the Red Chamber is much more than just a book. According to Ma Juntong, it's not just a simple love story.
(SB 2, male, Chinese)
"The Dream of the Red Chamber is actually an encyclopedia. If gives us very detailed tips on food, health, and fitness. It is a guide for our lifestyle today. For example, we have people who, after reading Dream of the Red Chamber, they start to put dates and wolfberry in their tea everyday. This is because they are described in the book as nutritional supplements. Therefore, the book maintains a large fan base and researchers continue to look into its architecture, costumes and even their speech pattern."
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In Daguanyuan, there are also exhibitions about the story, the characters and the author Cao Xueqing himself. This place is also used as the film set for other popular TV series, some that most young people would be familiar with today. Want to know what they are? Take a visit to Daguanyuan, The Grand View Garden.
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