Former Residence of Cao Xueqin

Former Residence of Cao Xueqin

The Former Residence of Cao Xueqin is a cultural tourism attraction.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, experts and scholars from the city frequently visited the area near the small stone bridge in the west of Baijiatuan Village. Sometimes there were three or five, sometimes more than ten. These people looked around, took photos, made measurements, and even chatted directly with the village elders. It turned out they were all experts in the study of "Dream of the Red Chamber," coming here to search for the place where Cao Xueqin spent his later years. Renowned Chinese Redology scholars such as Zhou Ruchang and Wu Enyu visited this site multiple times for research. Mr. Wu Enyu described his investigations here in his book "Collected Studies on Cao Xueqin." He also recalled interviewing locals in Baijiatuan at the time, such as Zhang Deshun, Liu Lan, and Wang Rong. Through extensive research, it has been confirmed that the area near the small stone bridge in the west of Baijiatuan Village was once the site of Cao Xueqin’s former residence.

Cao Xueqin, whose given name was Zhan and courtesy name Xueqin (also known as Qinxī or Qǐnpǔ), was the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber." His ancestral home was in Liaoyang, Liaoning (some say Fengrun, Hebei). His ancestors were originally Han Chinese. His grandfather served as the Textile Commissioner at the Jiangning Weaving Bureau of the Qing Dynasty, holding power and influence, and maintaining a very close relationship with Emperor Kangxi. They were a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. The Jia family depicted in "Dream of the Red Chamber" reflects the lifestyle Cao Xueqin experienced as his own family declined from prosperity. During the Yongzheng era, the Cao family suffered demotion, confiscation of property, and investigation, falling into sudden decline. Cao Xueqin personally experienced the process of a feudal society transitioning from glory to decay.

Cao Xueqin spent the last five years of his life in Baijiatuan. According to historical records, his good friend Dunmin noted in "Records of Splendor at Pinghu Maozhai" that in the spring of the 23rd year of the Qianlong reign (i.e., 1758), Cao Xueqin moved to Baijiatuan, with the original annotation stating: “In the spring, Qinpǔ (Cao Xueqin’s courtesy name) once visited me to announce that he would move to Baijiatuan.”

Local residents who are now over fifty may still remember that the small stone bridge was built from four large granite slabs, forming a double-arch slab bridge with tiger-skin stone revetments on both sides. The bridge was 1 meter wide, 6.7 meters long, and the bridge slabs were 0.42 meters thick. To the west of the bridge lay a vast barren river beach. About ten steps northeast of the bridgehead stood a small Five-Way Temple. River water from the southern mountain flowed gently beneath the bridge.

During the four or five years Cao Xueqin lived in Baijiatuan, he was in extremely difficult straits. He wrote books all day without any source of income, suffering from poverty and illness, having reached a state of extreme destitution.

The discovery and study of the small stone bridge in Baijiatuan have played an important role in advancing research on the book "Dream of the Red Chamber" and its author, Cao Xueqin.

Cao Xueqin (c. 1715 – c. 1763) was the greatest novelist of China’s Qing Dynasty. His given name was Zhan, courtesy name Mengruan, and his literary names included Xueqin, Qinpǔ, and Qinxī. His ancestral home was in Liaoyang. His ancestors were originally Han Chinese, but later became "Booi Aha" (bondservants) of the Manchu Plain White Banner, thus considered part of the Banner system. He was the author of China’s classic novel "Dream of the Red Chamber." Written during Cao Xueqin’s desolate and difficult later years, the novel was originally titled "The Story of the Stone," with the first 80 chapters largely finalized and circulated in handwritten copies. In 1791, Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E published the work for the first time using movable type printing, extending it to 120 chapters and renaming it "Dream of the Red Chamber."

… Cao Xueqin Detailed Information ++

Hot Spring Area: The Hot Spring Town is located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, in the southern part of the northern new district of Haidian. This area enjoys a prime location with hills and water nearby, and historically has been rich in landscapes and home to many gardens and villas.

Historical records indicate that before the Ming Dynasty, the current territory of Hot Spring Town generally belonged to Changping County (formerly Jundu County), with the southwestern part possibly under the jurisdiction of Yuhé County from the late Tang Dynasty to the early Jin Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, roughly along the boundary of the current Baiwang Mountain to Hot Spring road, the area north of it—including Taizhouwu, Yangjiazhuang, and Dongbutou—belonged to Changping County (or Prefecture), while the area south—including Baijiatuan, Hot Spring, Gaolizhang, and Xinzhuang—belonged to Wanping County. By the early Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi… Hot Spring Area Detailed Information ++