Xueqin Cao

Born around 1715 and traditionally dated to 1763, Cao Xueqin was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Qing dynasty. He is generally identified with Cao Zhan, and he is remembered above all for Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou meng), a masterpiece that follows the rise and decline of a powerful family.

Much of his life is known only in outline, but sources agree that he came from a once-prominent family that later fell on hard times. That experience of loss and changing fortune is often linked to the emotional depth of his writing, especially his sharp attention to family life, status, and the fragile pleasures of wealth.

Dream of the Red Chamber was left incomplete at his death and circulated in manuscript before becoming widely published. Over time it grew into one of the central classics of Chinese fiction, celebrated for its vivid characters, psychological insight, and richly detailed portrait of 18th-century society.