Redology

Redology (zh-c|c=紅學) is the study of the novel "Dream of the Red Chamber", one of the Four Classics of China. There are many researchers in this field, most can be divided into four general groups. The first group is the commentators, such as Zhou Chun, Xu Fengyi, Chen Yupi, and others. The second group is the index group, which mainly includes Wang Mengruan and Cai Yuanpei. The third group is the textual critics, including Hu Shi and Yu Pingbo. The final group is the literary thought group. There are quite a few researchers in this group, most notably Zhou Ruchang.
# Critical thought - comprising scholars such as Zhou Chun, Xu Fengyi and Chen Yupi;
# Allegorical thought - comprising scholars such as Wang Mengruan and Cai Yuanpei;
# Investigative thought - principally Hu Shi, Yu Pingbo and Zhou Ruchang;
# Literary thought.

Intensive and Extensive Research

Professor Liang Guizhi divides redological research into two areas: intensive research, or research into realist novels of ancient times as represented by "Dream of the Red Chamber", and extensive research, which deals with texts written on its setting and background.

There are four branches of intensive research:

# Cao Studies
#: research into the family history and life of Cao Xueqin and how he is related to the novel.
# Comparative Studies
#: chiefly concerned with distinguishing between Zhi Yanzhai's editions (of which there are currently more than thirteen) and the unadulterated original (block-print edition). Research in comparative studies is also primarily involved with handwritten copies as they may bear closer resemblance to the original manuscripts.
# Zhi Studies
#: as Zhiyan Zhai (aka Rouge Inkstone) was known to be a close friend of Cao Xueqin through whose notes can be found the original plot of chapters 80 onwards and anecdotal evidence of real-life circumstances from Cao's life.
# Investigative Studies
#: investigate or attest the plot of the final 28 chapters in reference to that of the first 80. (According to Zhou Ruchang there were only 108 chapters in the original version)

Research in later periods are built on these foundations. For example, recently, renowned writer Liu Xinwu has authored "Qin Studies", the culmination of a decade of research into Qin Keqing's pioneering research on "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Redological Schools

Most people believe that these can be divided into three schools: allegorical, archetypal and literary.

Professor Liang Guizhi believes that there are four schools of redological study:
# The school of literary criticism initiated from a Western literary perspective of the novel, adopted by Wang Guowei from the philosophical thought of Schopenhauer.
# The school of allegory that links "Dream of the Red Chamber" to historical events during the Qing dynasty, later represented by Cai Yuanpei, or Bao Jiadong's claim that the novel is a general account of culture within the Eight Banners system of the Qing dynasty.
# The largely refuted school that claims, as in "Divided Dream of the Red Chamber" co-written by Huo Guoling, Huo Lijun and Huo Jiping, that Cao Xueqing wrote the novel for a girl whom he admired, who later entered the palace as consort to the Yongzheng Emperor; Cao, in order to realize his political ideals, plotted with her in the fatal poisoning of the emperor, but was then usurped of would-be political rights by the Qianlong Emperor.
# The investigative school as represented by Hu Shi and Yu Pingbo, advocating that the novel was in at least some part autobiographical; this school is the brainchild of Zhou Ruchang, the founder of the comparative studies branch and the initiator of the school of literary thought within redology. Zhou is responsible for raising redological research to its peak within Chinese culture and for creating its current sense of reverence and prestige while at the same time pointing out its failings; he believes that "Dream of the Red Chamber" is a 'universal key' to the culture of China.

Redology: Xia Yi and Guan Yi

It is also possible to categorize Redology into two themes.

Xia Yi: This includes Cao Studies, Qin Studies, Comparative Studies, Zhi Studies and Investigative Studies. Qin Studies refers to the study of Cao Xueqin, the author himself, for which there is very few information available.

Guan Yi: This field studies the society set in the novel. This includes the people, arts, culture etc.

Redological Debates and Mysteries

There are a vast number of redologists and thus discords are difficult to avoid; according to Liu Mengqi's records there have been Seventeen Debates, Nine Public Cases, Four Mysteries and Three Dead Knots.

Seventeen Debates
#Hu Shih and Cài Yuánpéi debate
#The location of "Dream of the Red Chamber"
#Are the feet of the female character in the novel bound or not?
#Debate in 1954
#Li Xifan and He Qifang's war of words
#Regarding "Fen Gua" and "Dian Xi Qiao"
#When did Cao Xueqin die?
#The debate between Wu Shican and Yi Tengshu on "The Introduction of Tang Cun"
#The authenticity of "Fei Yi Ji Ji Gao" (a piece of work with a title that means "The Collection of Draft of the Abandoned Arts")
#About Cao Xueqin's self portrait
#Regarding the "Shi" Poem by Cao Xueqin
#Is Cao Xueqin the real author of the novel?
#The value of thirty years of redology?
#What exactly is redology?
#The pen war between Fan Conkui and Yu Fuguan ("Pen war" in here means a debate)
#Discussion of the Two Worlds of the Red Chamber by Zhao Gang and Yu Shiying
#The storm between Tang Degang and Xia Zhiqing ("Storm" in here means a debate with great rigor)

Nine Public Cases
#Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu; which one is better?
#How to evaluate last forty chapters of "Dream of the Red Chamber"
#Are there anti-Qing dynasty sentiments in "Dream of the Red Chamber"
#The authenticity of Chapters 64 and 67
#Who is the author of the "Fan Li" from the Jia Wu Edition?
#The edition systems of Dream of the Red Chamber
#Where is Cao's ancestry native place?
#What color flag does Cao's family belong to in Qing's eight color flag system?
#Mystery of the missing Jing Edition

Four Mysteries
#Mystery of Jia Yuanchun's Deliberation (as in a legal deliberation)
#Mystery of Jia Yuanchun's "Hao Shi Zhong" Song ("Hao Shi Zhong" meaning Good Ending)
#Why is the book called "Dream of the Red Chamber"?
#Mystery of the Twenty Jue Ju (Jue Ju, literally translated to "end sentence" is form of Chinese poetry)

Three Dead Knots (dead knot, a Chinese term for a knot that can not be untied. Thus, the hope of solving these mysteries is assumed to be nil.)
#Who is Zhiyan Zhai (Rouge Inkstone)?
#Who is the son of Cao Xueqin (or who succeeded Cao)
#Who is(are) the Author(s) of the subsequent work? (There is wide belief that Cao Xueqin died shortly after the completion of Chapter 80 out of the 120 Chapters from the "Complete" editions)