The Story of the Stone: Illusion and Mortal World in Cao Xueqin

Introduction: A Stone with a Story to Tell

If someone told you they had a large book about a stone, you might not be interested. But if that book is The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin, you are definitely in for a treat.

The story begins in the Land of Illusion, where we learn the tale of the Stone and the Crimson Pearl Flower through the story of two Priests—one Taoist and one Buddhist. The Buddhist Priest picks up a solitary stone and speaks to it, and through this exchange we learn the story of "The Stone," which sets the stage for everything that happens later in the mortal world. The connection between the two realms is established early when the Stone says to the Priest: "What you say is indeed true… my poor story is adorned by no rhetorical flourish nor literary art… but the world of mortals being what it is… I cannot but think that the tale here inscribed might be of some use." This is one of the first and most important examples of the link between the Land of Illusion and the real world.

The Land of Illusion and Its Mortal Incarnations

As we become drawn into the story of the son and his two female companions, we are given repeated glimpses of how the Land of Illusion—through the Stone—remains inextricably linked to the mortal realm. The incarnation of the Stone is Pao-yu, the son of a wealthy family, and the incarnation of the Crimson Pearl Flower is Tai-yu, who was also born into a neighboring wealthy family.

Through this lengthy tale we see how these two meet, fall in love, and discover that each other's destinies are bound by their prior incarnations in the Land of Illusion. For instance, when Pao-yu sees Tai-yu for the first time, he says, "I have seen her before somewhere"—even though they have never met in mortal life. He goes on to remark on her red eyes from crying, which echoes the Crimson Pearl Flower's earlier vow to the Stone: "I will repay in our future state with my tears." Tai-yu, for her part, is equally aware of their spiritual connection, as the novel notes that "a thrill passed through her delicate frame. She felt that somewhere or other she had looked upon that face before."

Love, Rivalry, and the Bounds of Destiny

Unfortunately, the love between Pao-yu and Tai-yu was not to be fulfilled. As in many Western literary works, a third figure enters to rival Tai-yu for Pao-yu's affections—though she does so without malice or intention. Her name was Pao-ch'ai, and she was the cousin of them both.

It is during the lengthy scenes in which Tai-yu falls gravely ill upon hearing that Pao-yu is to marry Pao-ch'ai—and then recovers when she learns he is not—that we see further examples of how the other realm interacts with the mortal world. The emotional and physical toll on Tai-yu is inseparable from the supernatural bond that ties her fate to Pao-yu's.

Conclusion: Fulfilling a Destined Path

Pao-yu required one final brush with the other side before he could accept that he had to move on with his mortal life. It was as though the other side kept him anchored in the mortal world precisely until he had fulfilled the destiny mapped out for him. The Story of the Stone is, at its heart, a meditation on the relationship between celestial origin and earthly experience—a theme that gives the novel its remarkable depth within the tradition of Chinese classic literature.

Reference

Xueqin, C. The Story of the Stone. Translated by Henry Giles. Chinese Literature, Appleton, 1909. Edited with footnotes by Richard Hooker.