Former Residence of Cao Xueqin

　　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 people, sometimes more than ten. These people looked around, took photographs, made measurements, and even chatted directly with elderly villagers. It turned out that they were all experts in the study of *Dream of the Red Chamber* in China, coming here to explore the place where Cao Xueqin spent his later years. Prominent Chinese *Redology* scholars such as Zhou Ruchang and Wu Enyu visited this site multiple times. Mr. Wu Enyu described his investigations here in his book *Collected Studies on Cao Xueqin*. He also recalled the details of interviewing locals in Baijiatuan at that time, such as Zhang Deshun, Liu Lan, and Wang Rong. Through extensive research, it was confirmed that the area near the small stone bridge in the west of Baijiatuan Village was once the site of Cao Xueqin’s residence.

　　　　Cao Xueqin, whose given name was Zhan, also styled himself Xueqin, and was also known as Qinxī or Qinpǔ, 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, and his grandfather served as the Textile Commissioner at the Jiangning Weaving Bureau of the Qing Dynasty—a position of power and influence—with very close ties to Emperor Kangxi. His family was one of the wealthiest in the southern regions. The Jia family depicted in *Dream of the Red Chamber* reflects the lifestyle Cao Xueqin experienced as his family’s fortunes shifted from prosperity to decline.

　　　　Cao Xueqin spent the last five years of his life in Baijiatuan. According to historical records, his close friend Dunmin noted in *Records of Splendid Gatherings 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 reading: “In the spring, Qinpǔ (Cao Xueqin’s alias) once came to my home to inform me that he would move to Baijiatuan.”

　　　　Nowadays, local residents who are over fifty might still remember that the small stone bridge was built with four large granite slabs, forming a double-arch slab bridge with pebble 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 was 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 spent his days writing with no source of income, suffering from poverty and illness, and had reached a state of dire destitution.

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

　　Cao Xueqin (1715～1763)　　Cao Xueqin (c. 1715 – c. 1763) was the greatest novelist of the Qing Dynasty in China. His given name was Zhan, courtesy name Mengruan, and his art names included Xueqin, as well as Qinpǔ and Qinxī. His ancestral home was in Liaoyang, and his forebears were originally Han Chinese, but later became "Booi" (bondservants) of the Manchu Plain White Banner, thus belonging to the Banner system. He is the author of China’s great classic novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Written during the bleak and difficult later years of Cao Xueqin’s life, the novel was originally titled *The Story of the Stone*, with the first 80 chapters largely finalized and circulated in manuscript form. In 1791, Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E published the first movable-type printed edition, extending the work to 120 chapters and renaming it *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Biography In the 54th year of the Kangxi reign (17...... More+