Product Description

The Story of the Stone (c.1760) is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The first part of the story, The Golden Days, begins the tale of Bao-yu, a gentle young boy who prefers girls to Confucian studies, and his two cousins: Bao-chai, his parents’ choice of a wife for him, and the ethereal beauty Dai-yu. Through the changing fortunes of the Jia family, this rich, magical work sets worldly events – love affairs, sibling rivalries, political intrigues, even murder – within the context of the Buddhist understanding that earthly existence is an illusion and karma determines the shape of our lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130496 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

About the Author
Cao Xueqin (?1715-63) was born into a family which for three generations held the office of Commissioner of Imperial Textiles in Nanking, a family so wealthy they were able to entertain the Emperor four times. However, calamity overtook them and their property was consfiscated. Cao Xueqin was living in poverty when he wrote his famous novel The Story of the Stone. David Hawkes was Professor of Chinese at Oxford University from 1959 - 1971 and a Research Fellow of All Souls College from 1973-1983. He now lives in retirement in Wales.

Customer Reviews

Stranger on a train
I once sat next to a girl on a long-distrance train who was reading the final volume of 'The story of the stone'. As she finished the last page she sighed and said, to nobody in particular, 'I can't believe it's finished...I've lived with these people for so long and now it's all over. I'll just have to start it again...' I decided then that I must read the book and have now got to volume 4. Even now, I know that my feelings when I get to the end of volume 5 will be much the same as those of the girl on the train. This is total involvement with a lost culture and will teach you more about China of the period than many a history book. Read it. Live it. Love these exasperating characters. Then start all over again....

A long, absobing, and rich novel
A superb, brilliant, moving, charming and very long novel from late 18th century China. Extremely readably translated by David Hawkes (vols 1-3) and John Minford (vols 4 & 5). There is much that is rewarding in the novel: the insight into the intimate domestic life of a Chinese family, the way the three traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism weave together in social and personal life; the very likeable characters - especially Bao-yu. It took me four months to read it (I read the short and wonderful Analects of Confucius at the same time too) but it is a book that goes at a leisurely pace anyway. Some while after completing the novel I sat down and wrote a list of all the characters I could remember from it. I wrote down 60 names (and that is despite not knowing any Chinese at all)! It was just living with these characters for such a time that had made them memorable and dear to me.

For me the novel is from a different culture and for all readers it is from a different century. These things makes it less than an easy read at first, but make it all the more rewarding and very, very much worth sticking with to the end.

Excellent but requires initial patience
This is the first volume of a 5 volume series, and does not stand alone. If you read it, and enjoy it, be prepared to read the other four volumes. The story is difficult to begin with, not for lack of interest, but because of the complexity of Chinese names for the western reader. The book is provided with a useful list of characters for each volume, and after referring to this during the first half the first volume, all becomes clearer for the remainder of the book.

The story itself is a fascinating picture of life in 18th century China, and portrays the development of a young boy who has otherworldly origins. The western reader needs to view dispassionately the Buddhist theme which pervades the novel, but when read with an open mind, the philosophy underlying the novel is both charming and practical (in its own way).

I found the book addictive, though it has to be said that others of my acquaintance found it too difficult to cope with, and abandoned the story before the end of the first volume. If you persevere, it forms a wonderful introduction to classical Chinese literature, and those similarly addicted will find it leads into many other books of Chinese prose and poetry.