Part two of my three-part series about Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. This is one of my favourite books, and one I think many more people in the West should know about and appreciate. It’s a beautiful and deep story, focusing on a small world but still encompassing so much of human life. If you have any interest in Chinese culture, it is a must-read, and if you don’t, reading this book will likely develop within you an interest you didn’t know you had.

In this episode, we discuss some of the minor characters in the novel, as we explore the wider world in which the Jia mansion is situated, and the material conditions that make the story possible. From the country bumpkin Granny Liu to the heroic maid Yuanyang, these characters provide us with key information for understanding the ideas Xueqin means to communicate with the novel.

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