Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

Commentary

Civilizing Literature and Filial Piety

Xue Baochai

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Daniel Evensen
Sep 02, 2026
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Civilizing Literature and Filial Piety

Xue Baochai’s poem tells us a lot about her character. And I’m talking about more than just the fact that she’s got amazing literary talent.

Let’s take a deeper dive. In particular, we’re going to focus on two lines in the middle of her poem:

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