At the Jinshan Bay Area Mom’s Classroom, a literary lecture was held on March 21st (last Friday), inviting former high school Chinese teacher Wu Xinyi to speak on “If Life Were Just Like First Sight: The Past Lives and Present Lives of Baodai in Dream of the Red Chamber”, leading the audience into the spiritual world of Dream of the Red Chamber to appreciate the beauty and desolation of earthly life.
“Dream of the Red Chamber” is a pinnacle of Chinese classical novels, created by Cao Xueqin, originally titled “The Story of the Stone,” also known as “Records of the Idle Dreamer,” “Mirror of Love and Lust,” and “Twelve Hairpins of Jinling,” among others. The story originates from a stone left unused by Nuwa repairing the sky, feeling regret for not being used in the sky’s repair. Later, this spiritual stone, on the bank of the Ling River by the Three Lives Stone, nurtured a Wisteria Flower Grass, prolonging its existence. The Flower Grass, unable to repay the stone, was willing to repay it with a lifetime of tears, so it transformed into the world with the stone, embarking on a journey through the mundane world of joys and sorrows.
The main speaker of the lecture was former high school Chinese teacher Wu Xinyi (Angel Wu), who loves literature and graduated from the National Taiwan Normal University’s Chinese Literature Department and Chinese Literature Graduate School. She once achieved the highest score nationwide in the Chinese Literature subject in the college entrance exam, with over ten years of experience in teaching high school Chinese, greatly beloved by her students.
On that day, Wu Xinyi delved into the story background of “Dream of the Red Chamber” and the life of the author Cao Xueqin, providing an in-depth analysis of the profound connotations of this acclaimed pinnacle of Chinese classical novels. She expressed that “Dream of the Red Chamber” is not just a magnificent and melancholic tragedy but vividly depicts the emotional entanglements and inner stirrings of life. The lecture focused on the past cause and present emotional evolution between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, from daily interactions to eventual separation, presenting a pure and sincere love story.
She shared, “To me, the moving aspect of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ lies not in what insights it brings, but in the sincere emotions of the characters that touched me. I empathized my way into this book, rather than just seeking to understand its philosophy. Although the entire book conveys the concept of all things being empty and letting go of attachments, I believe it is precisely because of human attachments that life appears profound and true.”
She exemplified that even as Daiyu was on her deathbed, although Baoyu’s mind was in turmoil, he still cherished her, keeping her deep in his heart even after her passing. “For me, Daiyu has never truly left but forever lives in Baoyu’s heart.”
Finally, she wished the audience present that through this lecture, they could also find their own emotions and insights in “Dream of the Red Chamber.”
The Director of the Overseas Compatriot Education Center, Zhuang Yashu, expressed great anticipation for this lecture. She stated that “Dream of the Red Chamber” is a literary memory of many people’s youth, evoking everyone’s yearning for poetry and picturesque scenes. She especially praised speaker Wu Xinyi for her passion and depth in literature, believing that Ms. Wu not only possesses profound knowledge of Chinese studies but also can guide everyone to explore the spiritual world of books, experiencing others’ lives.
She also thanked the careful planning of the Mom’s Classroom, providing the community with the opportunity to savor classics and nurture their souls.