Dream of the Red Chamber

Cao Xueqin wrote the first 80 chapters of the novel during the Qing dynasty in the mid-18th century. After his death, the novel was reportedly completed and published with a final 40 chapters by Gao E in the late 18th century.

Yes, it is also widely recognized and published under the title *The Story of the Stone*. This title directly references the mythological jade stone that the main character, Jia Baoyu, is born with.

The most common ending was compiled by Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E in their printed 1791 edition. However, scholars also study the Rouge Edition (Zhiyuan ben), which contains earlier manuscripts with commentary that suggests different plot trajectories for the characters.

The most famous adaptation is the 1987 television series produced by CCTV, which is widely considered the definitive screen version in China. The production famously took years to cast and featured a score composed by Wang Liping.