Dream of the Red Chamber
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese紅樓夢
Simplified Chinese红楼梦
GenreHistorical, romantic
Based onDream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin
Written byZhou Lei
Liu Genglu
Zhou Ling
Directed byWang Fulin
StarringOuyang Fenqiang as Jia Baoyu
Chen Xiaoxu as Lin Daiyu
Zhang Li as Xue Baochai
Deng Jie as Wang Xifeng
Country of originChina
Original languageMandarin
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes36
Production
Executive producerWang Fulin
Production locationChina
Production companyChina Central Television
Original release
NetworkCCTV
Release1987 (1987)

Dream of the Red Chamber (Chinese: 红楼梦; pinyin: Hónglóu Mèng), first released in 1987, is a television series produced by CCTV adapted from the classic 18th century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. It gained enormous popularity for its music, cast, and plot adaptation. It was first filmed in Beijing in Mandarin, then the series was dubbed in Cantonese and Shanghainese. The series is 36 episodes long.

The TV series is regarded by many within China as being a near-definitive adaptation of the novel. A TV remake of the novel started airing in 2010; however, much objection was raised over the unorthodox costume design and other contested interpretations.

Plot summary

The series follows the plot of Cao Xueqin's novel Dream of the Red Chamber. The series begins with the mother-less child, Lin Daiyu - whose beauty and intelligence surpasses all - moving into the family compound of her maternal grandmother in the capital. There, the child meets numerous relatives, one of whom is Jia Baoyu, her mother's nephew and male protagonist. Baoyu was born with a piece of jade in his mouth and, so, is treated like a fragile egg and spoiled by his grandmother. He often spends his time with his female cousins and maids instead of tending to his studies. In addition to Daiyu, one of the cousins he spends time with the most is the tactful Xue Baochai.

As the story goes on, Baoyu and Daiyu eventually fall in love with each other, but Daiyu is not very well liked by the family and, instead, the family members favor Baochai. Eventually, Baoyu and Baochai are forced to marry, and Daiyu dies of a broken heart. The series ends with the Emperor confiscating the Jia family properties and the family members scattered, some to their own tragic end. While some of the members do eventually reunite, Baoyu leaves to become a monk.

Episodes

The serial contains 36 episodes spanning the novel.

Cast

Accolades

Award Category Nominee Result
7th Feitian Awards Outstanding Television Series Dream of the Red Chamber Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress Deng Jie Won
5th Golden Eagle Awards Best Television Series Dream of the Red Chamber Won
Best Supporting Actress Deng Jie Won
China TV Drama Awards Grand Prix Dream of the Red Chamber Won

Reception and soundtrack

The 1987 series was initially somewhat controversial as few Redologists believed a TV adaptation could do the novel full justice. Producer and director Wang Fulin's decision in employing non-professional youths was vindicated as the TV series gained enormous popularity in China.

The series' success owes much to composer Wang Liping (王立平). He set many of the novel's classical verses to music, taking as long as four years to deliberate and complete his compositions.

External links

Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber
China Central Television shows
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