Briliiance: A Dream of Red Mansions

In the West, many say 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy is the greatest novel ever written. The masterpiece

deserves wide acclaim for brilliant story-telling that depicts a Russian aristocratic family in the midst of a crisis. The narrative carries a universal tone in which themes of love, war, wealth, friendship and human nature continue to be relevant in today's society or at any other place and time in history.

On a personal note, I was so inspired by 'War and Peace,' that in a prior marriage, I named my first daughter, Anastasia, based on one of the main characters of the book. Well, I don't know if I'll ever marry again or if I'll have another child, but if I do and since I intend on staying in China for many years to come, I would love to name either a son, Pao-yu, or a daughter, Tai-yu, who were the two main characters of the book, 'A Dream of Red Mansions.'

So deservedly, 'A Dream of Red Mansions' should rank on a scale in greatness with 'War and Peace,' not because many Chinese claim it's one of the most tremendous works of literature, but since the author, Tsao Hsueh-Chin, dramatically portrays the Chia family, the main character family in the book, in such a surreal and awe-inspiring fashion.

Here, the reader captures a vivid portrait of an aristocratic Chinese family surrounded by wealth, power and prestige. Yet, upon scratching the surface, readers discover a family in which chaos and dissension frequently prevail over happiness and unity that adversely affects other families who are supposed to be in alliance with the Chia family for political and economic purposes.

The book's introduction of the character, Pao-yu, sets a primary example of how dissension, not civility, reigns supreme inside the Chia household. Pao-yu was born with a jade in his mouth. Accordingly, the Lady Dowager, his grandmother believes this auspicious birth signifies a fantastic future for her grandson. Hence as the most-respected leader of the Chia family, she orders her son, Chia Cheng, to restrain from too-strictly disciplining her grandson, even though Chia Cheng disagrees due to his strong character. But, he relents due to a filial attitude to his mother.

Consequently, Pao-yu enjoys the benefits of gaining the Lady Dowager's protection. He can while away his time in the garden area of the Chia mansion where he spends his time with beautiful young maids who pamper him day and night. Apparently, some of these maids sleep with him, as well. And if they fail in their duties to please him, they must face the wrath of the Lady Dowager. The author rarely discloses if Pao-yu frequently engages sexual escapades with the maids, but it can be safely assumed he is doing more than just writing poems and playing drinking games with them.

Nevertheless, Pao-yu is not highly respected when he is depicted at the beginning of the novel. Even the maids ridicule him for lacking more masculine traits, having a sensitive nature and they even accuse him of having a mental disorder. Pao-yu's family members feel jealous that this young man can enjoy favors from the Lady Dowager.

His father, Chia Cheng, remains furious that he can't play a more pivotal role in Pao-yu's upbringing. He recognizes scholarly traits in his son, but bemoans his laziness and propensity to play too much with the maids. He sincerely wishes to turn his son into a well-respected scholar with a tougher character so he could become a true gentleman, not a superficial playboy.

Lady Wang, the number one wife to Chia Cheng, can't help but mock her son to anybody who would listen. When Tai-yu, the cousin of Pao-yu and granddaughter of the Lady Dowager, first arrives at the Chia household, she is greeted by Lady Wang who mocks her own son. She tells Tai-yu that Pao-yu is a "lunatic," the "bane of my life," and a "real devil." Lady Wang requests that Tai-yu and all other maids simply ignore him.

But, Tai-yu is a kind-hearted girl, but fated with ill health. She casts aside the advice of Lady Wang and makes every effort to befriend Pao-yu, despite his notorious reputation. This friendship eventually transforms into one of the greatest love stories in all of literature, but their love is destined to fail with fatal consequences.

Powerful women inside the Chia household recognize the two have fallen in love, but the powers that be, Lady Dowager, Lady Wang and His-feng, the aunt of Pao-yu, plot an insidious strategy to keep the two from marrying each other, so Pao-yu would marry Pao-chai, who is also a cousin, instead.

The Chia women disapproved of Tai-yu because she suffered from poor health and her love for Pao-yu was too strong, which they feared would inflict too many distractions upon Pao-yu. They felt Pao-chai, a woman with a more aristocratic character, would make a more suitable wife. Yet, that marriage was doomed to fail since Pao-yu, a hopeless romantic, refused to stop thinking about Tai-yu after her unfortunate death.

The love affair between Pao-yu and Tai-yu took many twists and turns so that it's important to read the book to fully grasp the power of their love. But, 'A Dream of Red Mansions' is more than just a tragic love story, but about a family. The plot is similar to a modern-day TV drama or American-style Soap Opera, which focuses on the riveting intrigues of a wealthy family. Some characters have good hearts, while others have dark hearts. We have cases of good vs. evil and often the characters can't help but get involved in devious mind games for short-term selfish gains.

Yet, each character has both good and evil in their hearts. Sometimes, those portrayed as bad at the beginning of the book are later portrayed as innately good. The introduction of Pao-yu as a raving "lunatic," turns false as the reader learns more about him. He's a scholar with a gentle heart, and perhaps his gentle heart is why he was criticized so often, since he was expected to act as a leader, not a poet, which was his true nature.

Chia Cheng, Pao-yu's father, is first portrayed as dictatorial who wants his son to suffer, but eventually the reader discovers he does love his son, but only wanted to toughen him up in order to adapt to a rough world. When Pao-yu was at death's door, the Lady Dowager spoke to her son, and Chia Cheng said he always loved his son, but knew he was too weak, he wanted "to turn iron into steel," he was quoted as saying.

Chia Cheng becomes one of the heroic characters. He is also constantly confronted by one scandal after another that was implicated by other family members, and he does his best to rescue his family by fixing their problems for the sake of maintaining an air of respect for the Chia family to the outside world.

'A Dream of Red Mansions' is so compelling, since new scandals or devious schemes erupt at the blink of an eye. All characters come to life, whether they are good or bad. Not one character could be described as boring. Tsao, the author, has a fantastic ability to understand the psychology of all his characters. He not only details their actions, but explains their innermost thoughts and motives.

For instance, Hsueh Pan, Pao Chai's elder brother, seems to suffer from a criminal psychosis, since he intentionally kicked acid on Pao-yu's face, and a homosexual sadist with a violent temper. But, he finally met his match when he married a woman with more rage in her heart than him. As he fled from her fury, Hsueh Pan murders a male waiter over a meaningless dispute, and gets arrested.

There are so many fascinating tales to recount from the book that it's best for the reader to learn more by reading the novel. When it comes to ranking the great books of world literature, it's a shame that few people in the West are familiar with 'A Dream of Red Mansions. "That's a scandal in itself, since this narrative deserves global recognition for: BRILLIANCE.