Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber originally The Story of the
Stone is a masterpiece of Chinese literature and one of the Chinese Four
Great Classical Novels. It was composed in the mid 18th century
during the Qing Dynasty. It is attributed to Cao Xueqin and generally
acknowledged as the seminal work of classical Chinese literature. The
novel is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the fortunes of Cao's
own family. As the author details in the first chapter, it is intended to be a
memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants.

— Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.