How This Blog Works
I’ve been meaning to write another introductory post for a while now. After keeping yesterday’s translation post a little shorter than usual, I’ve finally got some time to draft this.
As you can see, this isn’t exactly your run of the mill Substack publication. It’s also not like any other translation project that I’m aware of.
I’ve read Dream of the Red Chamber before - in Chinese as well as both major English translations (The Story of the Stone by David Hawkes and A Dream of Red Mansions by Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien-Yi). However, when I read all three versions of the book a few years ago, I noticed that there were considerable and distinct differences between the English versions and the Chinese original. There were also a number of places where the two major English translations didn’t agree with each other.
I’ve always wanted to dive in and intensively study the book to figure out just what is going on. And, after years of hemming and hawing and waiting for permission from someone or other to do it, I’ve decided to take it in my own hands and just go for it.
And that’s the story behind this project.
Now, as you can clearly see, I decided to use Substack to host this project, rather than spending money on a Wordpress blog or doing whatever it is that normal people do.
The reason is pretty simple. I like the fact that Substack sends posts via email. And that email system can be kind of expensive if you try to do it through a completely self-hosted blog, especially if you’re dealing with a large number of readers.
I don’t have a large number of readers at the moment. However, this blog’s readership continues to increase at a pace that honestly surprises me. I would not be surprised if the blog saw a large and sudden increase in readers in the coming months.
Now, if you’re new and don’t know where to begin, you should probably read some of the posts already written on the site, starting here:
You’ll notice that I haven’t done a great job at keeping this page caught up with the story. This is one of the projects I’m hoping to complete in the next few days; the other is to get my list of characters and biographies caught up as well.
My hope is to eventually turn the webpage version of this blog into a major hub for those who wish to study Dream of the Red Chamber. Even though I’ll write everything in English (and I’ll make a point of explaining things I quote in Chinese when that happens), I hope to attract readers who speak a variety of languages and are interested in the book. And, to my knowledge, there really isn’t a great Chinese language website out there that contains commentary and information on the novel in a simple and easy to navigate format.
There are a few other things that I want to note quickly:
First: the blog is designed for paying subscribers.
I’ve made a point of making two completely free posts every week, and will continue to do so in the future. I’ve tried to ensure that the completely free posts are interesting, too, and not just a wasted post that I’m trying to dash off before bed.
However, if you really want to read the story and understand its significance, I strongly urge you to consider becoming a paying subscriber. Subscriptions cost $5 per month or $50 per year, and I plan on keeping the price at that amount for the long term. A paid subscription gives you access to everything I’ve written, as well as a ton of comments from my readers.
Naturally, I don’t want to force any of you into becoming a paid subscriber. I’ll continue to publish things for you if you want to keep reading for free, and I fully understand that not everybody has enough time right now to follow the project. When you are ready, however, keep in mind that the most satisfying experience comes with a paid subscription.
Second: this project is designed to facilitate discussion.
Sometimes readers disagree with me. And it’s perfectly okay. I just hope that I don’t say something snippy or curt when I respond to comments.
I’m not some sort of Chinese language magician. Chinese is not my native language, and I still frequently make mistakes even after studying it for 20 years. Chances are really good that I’ve made a mistake, and I’m thankful to those of you who are willing to tell me when I’ve made a mistake.
You’ve probably noticed that I like writing “translation critique” segments on every translation post. Since I’m willing to dish out a bit of criticism to the now-deceased English language translators of this masterpiece, it’s only fair that I am also open to receiving similar criticism.
So please don’t be shy! And you can contact me directly if you like through a variety of means - just search and you’ll find me.
Ideally, I’d like this project to someday be extremely popular and lively. It will take a little while, but I think we’ll get there.
Third: my goal is not to write a book.
I’ve faced this question quite a few times over the past few months. It’s funny: one of my friends was happy when he heard I was undertaking this mammoth project, and told me that I should send him a note when I’m done.
The truth is that I’m probably not going to finish this project for a decade or so.
I’m going slowly, and my slow pace is actually deliberate. On the one hand, I want to make sure I don’t miss anything (and, honestly, I think I’ve probably already missed a few important things). And, on the other hand, I really like digging deep and asking questions about things that most people skip over.
The whole point of this project is this blog. It’s not to get a publishing deal, or to self publish my own translation on Amazon, or to create some massive PDF with a new translation of the novel, or to publish my own gloss of the Chinese of the novel, or anything like that.
Maybe I’ll do some of those things. Maybe I won’t. I haven’t decided quite yet. And, honestly, I’m having a lot of fun just focusing on the blog and extended commentary.
You see - the nice thing about this blog is that it facilitates discussion. You can’t talk back to a published book. I suppose you could write a few angry notes in the margins, but the ghost of David Hawkes isn’t going to take a few minutes in the morning to help you understand a certain phrase, or to laugh at a joke you made, or to tell you that the Dream of the Red Chamber knockoff Lego set you found is the most awesome thing he’s seen in a long time.
The journey is the point, not the destination. And so we might as well enjoy the journey!
I am planning on continuing this project as long as I possibly can. When I’m finished with the 1792 edition (程乙本), I hope that I still have enough energy to go after the 1791 edition (程甲本) and some of the many manuscripts.
And then there’s also the numerous television shows and movie adaptations, of course. Many of those include drastic changes to the story that are worth noting and talking about.
Finally, there are other forms of media that I employ from time to time. I missed last week’s podcast episode due to other commitments - but I am planning on another podcast episode tomorrow. And, if you haven’t seen it yet, you should also check out my YouTube channel:
Anyway, thank you for your readership and support! This project is a dream come true, and is something I look forward to every single day. I can’t think of anything in life that is more fun or fulfilling than spending time digging deep into one of the greatest literary masterpieces in the history of the world.