Why read ancient manuscripts when reading "A Dream of Red Mansions"?

The version of "Dream of Red Mansions" is mostly one of its characteristics. The early ancient manuscripts are a topic that attracts much attention of researchers and readers. The published ancient manuscripts of A Dream of Red Mansions include: Jiapi, Jiji, Gengchen, Wangfu (also known as Mongolian Manuscript), Qi Xuben (also known as Qi Jisheng's Preface to Stone), Russian Tibetan (Also known as the Tibetan version), Shu Xuben, and the dream version (also known as Yang Ben, Yang Tibetan).

This makes people curious: Why are there so many ancient manuscripts in A Dream of Red Mansions? Why do we look at these ancient manuscripts?

Come and hear what the Red Scholars say. On March 21st, the People's Literature Publishing House hosted an online live event, inviting Mr. Zhang Qingshan, president of the Chinese Red Chamber Dream Society, to answer this topic for readers.

Ancient Manuscript of A Dream of Red Mansions

Manuscripts formed during the Qianlong period

"Dream of the Red Mansion" was originally circulated in the form of a transcript, only eighty times. By the 56th year of Xinlong (1791) in Qianlong, a new book was printed and printed by Cheng Weiyuan and Gao Xun. "All Dreams of Red Mansions" is a hundred and twenty times. People usually call them Cheng Jiaben. In the second year, the 57th year of the Emperor Qianlong (1792), Cuiwenwu also published a "All Dreams of Red Mansions in Red Mansions" "It is also a hundred and twenty times. At this time, only 70 days have passed since the publication of Cheng Jia's magazine. The layout and illustrations of this book are exactly the same as Cheng Jia's, but there are more than 20,000 words in the specific text. People usually call it For Cheng Yiben. "

Zhang Qingshan said, "The ancient manuscripts we are talking about today refer to the manuscripts that were formed before Qianlong's fifty-six years (1791), that is, before Cheng Jia's edition. Of course, what we see today is the transcript, which is During the dissemination of "Dream of Red Mansions", enthusiasts, collectors, and merchants who sold books as a living transcribed the books. Although these records were not Cao Xueqin's manuscripts, nor were they used to circulate comments among Cao Xueqin's relatives and friends, but Because these books retain the basic features of early ancient manuscripts, and retain a lot of criticisms from Zhi Yanzhai and others, they are useful for us to study Cao Xueqin's creation, study the process of writing "A Dream of Red Mansions", and explore the "lost" content of "A Dream of Red Mansions". It is of great value to sort out the book that is closest to the original appearance of Cao Xueqin. "

Cao Xueqin finished writing "A Dream of Red Mansions"

Forty times after the borrower was lost

Ancient manuscripts have left clues to many "controversial issues", Zhang Qingshan said, "The first eighty times of" The Dream of Red Mansions "was written by Cao Xueqin, and the last forty times were not written by Cao Xueqin. Some of the descriptions of the latter forty times clearly did not conform to Cao Xueqin. The original intentions, such as Jia Baoyu's ending, who Shi Xiangyun was married to, the end of the flower attack, how Lin Daiyu died, etc. These problems, the existing ancient manuscripts also retain many precious clues for us. "

For example, as in the last batch of the thirty-first round of Gengchen's book: "The latter is the Kirin that Ruolan admired in the shooting garden, and this is also Kirin. The outline lies in this round, the so-called grass snake gray line, in Thousands of miles away. "" I only saw one of the five or six manuscripts such as "Prison Temple Comfort Baoyu" lost by the borrower during the Qing dynasty. Sigh! Ding Haixia, Youhu Temple "," The Prison Temple "returned There are a lot of texts from Qian Xue and Hongyu, but I am lost and unwritten "," I am sorry that the text of "Wei Ruolan Shooting Garden" is lost and unwritten ... I ca n’t see Baoyu ’s "Sales on the Cliff" is hate ", etc., Zhang Qingshan explained "The above are all criticisms of Suo Huyi. Some experts believe that he is Cao Fu, and it is likely that Cao Xueqin's father."

Zhang Qingshan introduced, "From the above comments, we know that Cao Xueqin not only wrote" Dream of the Red Mansion ", but also circulated among relatives and friends after 80 times. Unfortunately, he was lost by the borrower. From the above comments, we seem to still be able to I feel that in addition to the lost five or six manuscripts, the other manuscripts are in the hands of the critic Shaohuyi, but due to the loss of so many manuscripts, the manuscripts that remain in the hand of Jiaohuyi are incomplete and cannot be clarified. Even more regrettable It is very likely that the manuscripts after eighty times were completely lost with the death of Suo Huyu. "

Significance of publishing ancient manuscripts

Helps explore lost content

Talking about the significance of reading the ancient manuscripts of A Dream of Red Mansions today, Zhang Qingshan said that by looking at these ancient manuscripts and seeing so many Zhiyanzhai criticisms and the subtle differences between the various versions, readers seem to be able to get closer to Cao Xueqin's original works.

Zhang Qingshan believes, "In a nutshell, why do we look at early ancient manuscripts? Why do we need to know the basic situation of some ancient manuscripts? It is to understand the author Cao Xueqin, to understand the book-making process of A Dream of Red Mansions, and to study Cao Xueqin's creative thinking And its development and changes, in order to study the content lost after 80 times, and to compile a version of "A Dream of Red Mansions" which is closer to the original appearance of Cao Xueqin based on the ancient manuscript collation. Take a look at the ancient manuscripts of "A Dream of Red Mansions", or understand some of "A Dream of Red Mansions" The basic information of the version can help us approach Cao Xueqin, help us understand Cao Xueqin, help us to explore the story after 80 times, and help us to further understand "Dream of Red Mansions."

According to Zhang Qingshan, forty times after the Dream of the Red Mansion was not written by Gao Ye, who did not know who wrote it. "But it continued well, and was recognized by the readers. It is amazing. I think the biggest contribution of the last forty times is that it completed the tragic ending of" A Dream of Red Mansions ", which is very remarkable in Chinese classical novels. And some chapters are described It ’s also wonderful and the level is not low. "

Cover News Reporter Zhang Jie

Senior Publisher Huang Yongsong:

Mining "Chinese Fairy Tale" Starts with Young Children

When the publisher Huang Yongsong founded the "Hansheng" magazine in Taiwan in 1971, he set a purpose: "To do something to record and preserve traditional Chinese culture. The scope of Chinese traditional culture is too broad, Folk culture has received little attention. We set about it. Our selection criteria are twofold: first, it must be Chinese; secondly, it must be traditional. We focus on those that are alive and still in the folk. Those traditional cultures that are being used and operated. They are doing things for the people at the grassroots level. The upper level of Chinese studies has been done by the upper academic circles, but no one has done research on the people ’s lives. We just started to explore from here Folk culture. "

The Little Encyclopedia of Hansheng

A balance between education and tradition

In 1988, Huang Yongsong came to the mainland and walked in the countryside of Guangxi. He led the team to conduct field investigations, collected more lively folk culture, and used the magazine as a carrier to present the records and protection of traditional Chinese culture: rice, pasta, batik, Clay sculptures, paper-cutting, kites ... Hansheng Magazine has launched a large children's book "Hansheng Chinese Fairy Tale" with Chinese traditional folk culture at its core. It has become a "heirloom" for Chinese children worldwide.

"Hansheng Love's Little Encyclopedia" is a general education reading book specially created by Hansheng Magazine for children aged 3-6. It is another "Heirloom" class book after "Hansheng Chinese Fairy Tale". The first volume of this publication contains 12 sub-volumes, one per month is a theme, one per day, providing parents with high-quality early childhood education content for a whole year. The book "speaks, sings, guesses, does, and plays" to achieve balanced development in the five areas of children's physiology, cognition, emotion, language, and society, taking into account the essence of modern children's education theory and traditional Chinese culture, and aims to cultivate physical and mental health , Children both inside and outside.

Today, this book is also available in simplified form, published by Xinhua Wenxuan's Tiandi Publishing House. On March 23, Hansheng Magazine and Tiandi Publishing House held a press conference in the form of live broadcast of new books. Huang Yongsong, the well-known publisher and the general planner of Hansheng Magazine, shared the reason for creating "Little Encyclopedia of Hansheng Love" at the press conference.

Just take care of the grass roots

The spring breeze must be born again

Huang Yongsong said, "Our folk culture is so deep and rich. Although there are some modern history reasons that have been cut off or damaged a lot, it's like leaving the grass on the grass. Despite the disaster, the grass roots are still there. So We often do the finishing for the grass roots, finishing the ancestors' wisdom that is on the verge of disappearing, as long as we take good care of the grass roots, the spring breeze will definitely be born again. We do these things and get the affirmation of the experts and the public that we are doing it right. The grass roots of culture, and the grass roots of people, are children. When adult voices are appreciated by everyone, we must not forget that there is still a child. Especially three to six years is an important critical stage of human growth. Personality will become an important foundation for children's future development. "

Speaking of the purpose and purpose of editing "The Small Encyclopedia of Hansheng Love", he said: "The Chinese tradition attaches great importance to the education of children and Mongolia, and the well-known" Children's Learning Qionglin "," Hundred Characters "and" Three Character Classics "are ancient people. An enlightenment book specially written for children, the purpose of which is to cultivate children's righteousness. In the era of everyone sliding their heads down, we hope that this set of books can lay a good cultural foundation for children and cultivate a stable and sound heart. Only in the face of a rapidly changing world in the future, can we not be surprised. "

The publication of "Hansheng Love's Little Encyclopedia" is the third cooperation between Tiandi Publishing House and Hansheng Magazine. Since 2017, Tiandi Publishing House has successively introduced "Hansheng Chinese Fairy Tale" and "Hansheng Mathematical Picture Book". "And" Chinese Encyclopedia ", and 12 books will be published at the end of this year.

Cover News Reporter Zhang Jie