For the legend of Cao Xueqin and "Dream of Red Mansions", the world has many praises. Zhou Ruchang once commented: Cao Xueqin's life trajectory is both bumpy and glorious. He was loved by everyone, but at the same time, he was misunderstood and slandered by the world, and even ostracized. His thoughts integrate Lao Zhuang's philosophy, Qu Yuan's grief and indignation, Sima Qian's historical talent, Gu Kaizhi's painting art, as well as the romantic talents of Li Yishan and Du Mu, as well as the musical and drama talents of Li Guinian and Huang Yixuan.
His life is full of ups and downs, experiencing high and low, honor and disgrace, rise and fall, clutch, joys and sorrows. At the same time, he also integrated the cultural characteristics of Manchu and Han, Jiangnan and Jiangbei, forming a unique charm. So, what is the reason why this once rich and noble son has become a down-and-out literati?
Cao Xueqin, born on May 28, 1715, died on February 12, 1763. There is still controversy about his ancestral hometown, some say it is Liaoyang, Liaoning, some say it is Fengrun, Hebei, and some think it is Tieling.
But one thing is certain, and that is that he was born in Jiangning, which is now Nanjing. He is the grandson of Cao Yin of Jiangning Weaving and the son of Cao Yin. As for why it was named "Dip", it is because on a certain day after his full moon, the Cao family received a fold, which mentioned that "the rain is stacked for days, and the four fields are wet". Therefore, he got the name "Dip", which means that the time and place are favorable.
So, what is Jiangning weaving? This is an imperial merchant institution set up in Nanjing by the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is specially responsible for weaving silk fabrics required by the court. The Cao family, as one of them, his great-grandmother Sun was the nanny of Emperor Kangxi, and his grandfather Cao Yin was Emperor Kangxi's companion and imperial guard, and later served as Jiangning Weaving and Lianghuai Salt Patrol Supervision Imperial History.
In the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties, the ancestors and grandchildren of the Cao family were in charge of Jiangning weaving for 58 years, which can be said to be a prominent family of magnates at that time. Therefore, Cao Xueqin also enjoyed an extremely luxurious life in her early years.
However, Cao Xueqin in her childhood was extremely naughty, disgusted with Baguwen, disliked reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and disliked the imperial examination and career economy. Although the Cao family disciplined him strictly, hired a tutor, and sent him to study at the home school, he was always sheltered because of his grandmother Li's doting. This kind of character is quite similar to Jia Baoyu in "Dream of Red Mansions". However, Cao Xueqin loved to read, and the Cao family had a large collection of books, which also laid a solid foundation for his future writing.
In the process of traveling to the south of the Yangtze River, Cao Xueqin developed a strong interest in landscapes and scenery, and the great rivers and mountains of the motherland were deeply imprinted in his heart. In addition, he was an official for a short time, but because of his family's wealth and prominence, he made many celebrities.
However, the good times were short-lived. When Cao Xueqin was thirteen years old, the Cao family was dismissed and imprisoned for harassing the post station, weaving deficits, transferring property, etc., and was raided before the Lantern Festival in the first month of the following year. Although when Cao Xueqin was twenty-two years old, Qianlong issued an order to pardon the Cao family's huge deficit, the Cao family had collapsed and declined day by day. Cao Xueqin also changed from a rich and elegant son to a down-and-out sinner who no one cared about.
When Cao Xueqin was thirty years old, he began to write Dream of the Red Chamber, which at that time was still known as The Treasure of the Wind and the Moon. In 1747, Cao Xueqin tried to gain fame in Beijing, but he was unsuccessful due to his status as a criminal minister. After that, he could only make a living by selling calligraphy and paintings and handouts from friends, and lived in extreme poverty. However, even in such a predicament, he still lived in seclusion in Xishan for more than ten years under the persuasion and encouragement of his friends, and with perseverance, he made many revisions, additions and deletions to the "Treasure of the Wind and Moon".
Unfortunately, although Cao Xueqin spent more than ten years, he did not complete the creation of "Dream of Red Mansions" until his death. Only eighty chapters of this work were completed, and the last forty chapters were continued by Gao E. At the age of forty-eight, Cao Xueqin returned to Nanjing, fell into deep sorrow and grief due to the death of his young son, and finally died of illness in Beijing, ending his bumpy and glorious life.