Dream of the Red Chamber: (Hung Lou Meng or A Dream of Red Mansions)

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 18^th 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.