Rereading the Stone takes a darker turn, as Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber begins its second 12-part chapter cycle (Chapter 13). Will Xifeng heed the dream advice of Qin Keqing’s departing soul? As if to lighten the mood, this episode is noteworthy for its range of comparative materials. 

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Jia Rui and Rereading the Stone plunge head first into the alluring yet vacuous realm of fantasy in this chapter of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber. We trace the series of events that lead to Jia Rui’s receiving the magical precious mirror of the romantics (風月寶鑑 fengyue baojian). This second and final part of the Jia Rui saga is an eye-opening, darkly humorous episode not to be missed. Along the way, Kevin discusses the vagaries of the modern ginseng procurement, and Will draws parallel to Infinite Jest.

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Jia Rui learns a lot — all too much — about fantasy and the reality of fantasy in this chapter of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber. We trace the series of events that lead to Jia Rui’s receiving the magical precious mirror of the romantics (風月寶鑑 fengyue baojian). Is Jia Rui wholly to blame, or does his cousin Xifeng exact her revenge with excessive zealousness? In what ways is or is not Xifeng’s soul implicated in the fantasy space in which this mirror originates? One of the most fun chapters we’ve covered so far!

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When you pass through a garden, something is going to happen. Snake-in-the-grass Jia Rui shows interest in his cousin Xifeng, who has plans of her own. In a special second part of this episode, Kevin previews a talk he gave, trying to understand how to understand color and color symbolism in Hong lou meng Dream of the Red Chamber, in the process giving our most-detailed explanation to-date for what it means to be wuxing 五行-pilled from a secular, scientific perspective!

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It’s Jia Jing’s birthday, and we are going to celebrate whether he's immortal or not! As the festivities proceed, an ailing Qin Keqing opens her heart to Xifeng. Baoyu drifts off in thought, the matching couplets on her bedroom wall again his point of focus. On the wuxing scale of 1 to 10, this episode measures black green. 

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Part 2 of 2 of Chapter 10 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢) takes us to the Ning Branch of the Jia clan, as Qin Keqing suffers from a mysterious and distressing illness. We learn all about the “niche ingredients” in the sundry medicines doctors have been prescribing Qin Keqing and ponder the wuxing 五行 correlative thinking underlying this thinking. 

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Chapter 10 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢) takes us once again to the Ning Branch of the Jia clan, as Qin Keqing suffers from a mysterious and distressing illness. Is it merely physical, or are unspeakable forms of guilt and confusion also contributing to her woe? Visions from Chapter 5 of Baoyu and Keqing’s dream-crossing the Ford of Error haunt this episode, just as Big Jiao’s cryptic condemnations from Chapter 7 continue to resonate. 

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The anarchic and unforgettable second half of chapter 9 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! We delve even more deeply into the question of the Rong private school, an institution entangled in sex, money, coercion, and homophobia. Tensions are rising, and soon no-holds-barred fighting (with weapons) engulfs the classroom!

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Chapter 9 is truly an eye-opening chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! We discuss Jia Zheng’s questionable ideas on education as Baoyu and Qin Zhong prepare entrance into the Rong private school, an institution entangled in sex, money, coercion, and homophobia.

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The second half of our discussion of a truly iconic chapter of the Qing classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! What is the secret behind the matching couplets inscribed on Baoyu’s jade and Baochai’s locket? Is Daiyu right to be angry at being excluded? How can someone be so artful even in jealousy? When it snows (xue 雪) at the Xue 薛 household, is this symbolic entrapment? And you gonna pull a C. T. Hsia and pretend this correspondence never happened? When all comes to naught, will Baoyu be able to rely on his calligraphy skills? 

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