The Story of the Stone (c.1760), also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The second part of this magnificent family saga, The Crab-Flower Club,continues the story of the changing fortunes of the illustrious Jia dynasty - and of the close bond between Bao-yu, its eldest son, and his delicate orphaned cousin Dai-yu.

The Story of the Stone (c.1760), also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The second part of this magnificent family saga, The Crab-Flower Club,continues the story of the changing fortunes of the illustrious Jia dynasty - and of the close bond between Bao-yu, its eldest son, and his delicate orphaned cousin Dai-yu. It provides a fascinating and detailed glimpse into the daily life of a Manchu household - its rituals,customs and protocols, and the extended family and servants who inhabit it. Beyond the worldly matters that dominate events in this volume, however, is the underlying Buddhist understanding - that there is another plane of being and earthly existence is simply an illusion.David Hawkes's acclaimed translation is accompanied by a preface,appendices, a list of characters and family trees.