Story of the Stone

Cao Xueqin (?1715-63) was born into a family which for three generations held the office of Commissioner of Imperial Textiles in Nanking, a family so wealthy they were able to entertain the Emperor four times. However, calamity overtook them and their property was consfiscated. Cao Xueqin was living in poverty when he wrote his famous novel The Story of the Stone.

• The Story of the Stone Volume 5Note on SpellingPrefaceChapter 99:Unscrupulous minions make use of their master's virtue to conceal a multitude of sins; and Jia Zheng is alarmed to read his nephew's name in the 'Peking Gazette'Chapter 100:Caltrop disturbs an elaborate seduction and inspires bitter resentment; Bao-yu learns of a distressing betrothal and laments an imminent departureChapter 101:In Prospect Garden a moonlit apparition repeats an ancient warning; and a Scattered Flowers Convent the fortune-sticks provide a strange omenChapter 102:Illness descends upon the Jia family in Ning-guo House; and charms and holy water are used to exorcize Prospect GardenChapter 103:Jin-gui dies by her own hand, caught in a web of her own weaving; Yu-cun encounters an old friend in vain, blind to the higher truths of ZenChapter 104:Drunken Dime at large again - a small fish whips up a mighty storm; our Besotted Hero in agony once more - a chance thrust quickens a numbed heartChapter 105:The Embroidered Jackets raid Ning-guo House; and Censor Li impeaches the Prefect of Ping-anChapter 106:Wang Xi-feng feels remorse for the consequences of her past misdeeds; and Grandmother Jia prays for the family's deliverence from further calamityChapter 107:Impelled by family devotion, Grandmother Jia distributes her personal posessions; favoured with an Imperial dispensation, Jia Zheng recieves his bother's hereditary rankChapter 108:A birthday party held for Sister Allspice necessitiates a false display of jollity; and ghostly weeping heard at the Naiad's House provokes a frech outburst of griefChapter 109:Fivey shares a vigil, and receives affection meant for another; Ying-chun pays her debt to fate, and returns to the Realm of Primordial TruthChapter 110:Lady Jia ends her days, and returns to the land of shades; Wang Xi-feng exhausts her strength, and forfeits the family's esteemChapter 111:A devoted maid renders a final service, and accompanies her mistress to the Great Void; a villainous slave takes his revenge, and betrays his masters into the hands of theivesChapter 112:Admantina discharges a karmic debt and recieves a blow from the Hand of Providence; Aunt Zhao concludes a deadly feud and sets out on the road to the Nether WorldChapter 113:Xi-feng repents of her former misdeeds, and entrusts her child to a village dame; Nightengale softens a long-standing animosity, and warns to ter besotted masterChapter 114:Wang Xi-feng ends her life's illusion and returns to Jinling; Zhen Ying-jia recieves the Emperor's favour and is summoned to the PalaceChapter 115:A private obsessoin revived confirms Xi-chun in an ancient vow; a physical likeness verified deprives Bao-yu of an imagines friendChapter 116:Human destinies are revealed in a fairy realm, and the Stone is restored to its rightful owner; mortal remains are transported to their terrestrial home, and duty is discharged by a filial sonChapter 117:Two fair damsels conspire to save the jade, and forestall a flight from earthy bondage; an infamous rogue takes charge of the mansion, and assembles a gang of croniesChapter 118:Provoked by a ranking antipathy, Uncle and Cousin plot the ruin of an innocent maid; alarmed by riddling utterances, Wife and Concubine remonstrate with their idiot masterChapter 119:Bao-yu becomes a Provincial Graduate and severs worldly ties: the House of Jia receives Imperial favour and renews ancestral gloryChapter 120:Zhen Shi-yin expounds the Nature of Passion and Illusion; and Jia Yu-cun concludes the Dream of Golden DaysCharacters in Volume 5Genealogical Tables

“Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over.” —SupChina, “The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked” (#1)