Literary and translation perspectives on Hongloumeng

For more than a century, Hongloumeng and its translations in various languages have been the subject of study in various fields of humanities, including literary studies and translation studies. The novel, with its diverse literary, cultural, and social themes, has exerted a significant impact not only on modern Chinese literature and language but also on world literature. As of today, the novel has been translated into more than 20 languages, including major world languages such as English, French, Spanish, and Italian, demonstrating its profound influence on world literature. This field of study known as hongxue (“Redology”) has grown and inspired new inquiries with fresh perspectives and improved methods. This introductory chapter provides an overview of Hongloumeng research and provides a brief summary of the chapters contained in this book.