Cao Xueqin

The Qing dynasty author whose unfinished family saga became China's most studied novel.

Specifications & Metrics

era

c. 1715 – 1763

language

Classical Chinese

region

Nanjing and Beijing, Qing China

notable works

Dream of the Red Chamber (first 80 chapters)

Core Principles & Analysis

• His family's fall from imperial favor supplied the novel's material.
• He died poor, leaving the Red Chamber unfinished at about eighty chapters.
• The 1791–92 edition's last forty chapters were completed by others.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Cao Xueqin