曹雪芹

Cao Xueqin (c. 1715–1763) was born into a wealthy and influential family that served the Qing imperial court, but his later life was marked by poverty and obscurity. He spent years writing and revising his masterpiece, Dream of the Red Chamber (also known as The Story of the Stone), which draws heavily on his own family's rise and fall. The novel, unfinished at his death, was posthumously completed by Gao E and published under the title Hongloumeng. It is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, renowned for its vast cast of characters, its exploration of love, fate, and social decay, and its innovative narrative techniques. Cao's work has had an enduring influence on Chinese literature and culture, spawning an entire field of study known as 'Redology.'