Ep 90 - The Dream of the Red Chamber with Annie Qu

The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast

‘I felt that in action and in lore, one and all were far above me; that in spite of the majesty of my manliness, I could not, in point of fact, compare with these characters of the gentle sex’

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As this show draws only ten episodes short of its ascent to heavenly hiatus, let us call down from those lofty vapours a sad and beautiful tale, a story of a stone, The Dream of the Red Chamber. Musing with me in the aristocratic compound is another host: Annie Qu, a genuine Bilibili literati. Much like Cao Xueqin, I considered myself lucky to be in the presence of such a refined lady, as we discussed the continuing relevance of this classic of classics to ideas concerning high culture, gender norms, and all the frivolous imaginings we spend our brief lives upon.

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// NEWS ITEMS //

• Zijin Chen’s Bad Kids, translated by Michelle Deeter, gets a shortlist spot

• Lu Xun short story Kong Yiji cited in PRC education/employment discussions

• Watch: Jing Tsu’s Asia society talk on Kingdom of Characters

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// WORD OF THE DAY //

(美 – měi – beauty/aesthetics)

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// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //

• The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

• Xianqing Ou Ji and The Importance of Living

• Family by Ba Jin

• the final 40 chapters controversy

• Qing/Qi/Shu Hua: the four arts

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