Enchanted by a classic tale of woe

By Patrick Whiteley ( China Daily ) Updated: 2007-05-16 15:24:52

Is it just me or does this sound like a line from the Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias song To All the Girls I've Loved Before?

Enchanted by a classic tale of woe "In this busy, dusty world, having accomplished nothing, I suddenly recalled all the girls I had known, considering each in turn, it dawned on me that I, shameful to say, for all masculine dignity, fell short of the gentler sex. But since this could never be remedied it was no use regretting it. There was really nothing to be done..."

So writes Cao Xueqin in the opening pages of A Dream of the Red Mansions. Despite cynically concluding that there was nothing left to be done, Cao managed to do something monumental and write one of China's most famous novels.

This epic, 1,600-page book is spread over three volumes and is thicker than Lord of the Rings. I have just finished it and it was one of the most boring and brilliant books I have ever read. But it is a must-read for anybody who is serious about unlocking the mysteries of the Middle Kingdom.

The Romeo and Juliet-style tragedy is set in the declining years of the Qing Dynasty. It is played out in the lush grounds of a noble family's Beijing mansion and follows the exploits of a group of rich teenage girls.

Think of Desperate Housewives, Beverly Hills 90210 and Days of Our Lives with Chinese characteristics. Despite living in the lap of luxury, these kids are bored and spend a lot of time writing poems, drinking tea, crying, and bitching about one another. There was sex, violence, laughs and loads of detail. It is the detail, which makes it both boring and brilliant.

I found it difficult to get excited about the Queen of Bamboos (Lin Daiyu) winning first place with her poems on chrysanthemums; Yuchuan (a maid) tasting lotus-leaf broth and Daiyu weeping over fallen blossoms. But I'm told these are highlights for many readers.

But my highlight is an old lady called Granny Liu, a distant relative from the countryside, who joins the family and is flabbergasted by the extravagance. She points out the cost of their 80-crab lunch could feed her family for a year.

This book is not a Dan Brown page-turner but it has been a marvelous insight into the Chinese psyche - better than any book I have read on China and I've read oodles.

Cao wrote it in the mid-1700s but died in poverty before he could finish it. He was born into a wealthy family who fell foul of the new emperor and had their fortunes stripped. The author tasted the highs and lows of life and captures this to perfection.

Underneath the story is the Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, that everything in life is meaningless. Cao only hoped that readers would find his story a "distraction from their worldly cares".

"By glancing over it they may save their energies and prolong their lives, sparing themselves the harm of quarrels and arguments, or the trouble of chasing what is an illusion."

So my worthy reader, in the time you have spent reading my meaningless opinion, I hope I have distracted you a little from the unnecessary worries of daily life.

(China Daily 05/16/2007 page20)