Yin and Yang
Paramount to Chinese philosophy this concept of opposites complimenting each other can be seen throughout the saga such as the idea of light and dark, good fortune and suffering, and most notably fiction and reality. The novel opens with the quote that “Truth becomes fiction when the fiction is true; Real becomes not-real where the unreal’s real” which sets the tone for a family dynasty where the line between the phantom realm and mundane daily life is hazy and the author’s fictional clan and events emulate his own upbringing and family.
An example of good fortune begetting suffering is that the emperor’s favor was responsible for the Jia family’s reputation and wealth and yet it is this same wealth and seeming security that brings in the decay of the household’s good graces thus causes their downfall in having their assets seized by the same government. Where there is great joy in Xue Baochai’s marriage there is great sorrow for the family in Daiyu’s passing because of her broken heart over the marriage. As for light and dark, each character is neither wholly good nor wholly bad.
Religion
The novel mixes elements of Buddhism and Taoism as well as bits of ancient Confucianism as it is a reflection of the intermingling of religious beliefs at the time. Jia Baoyu’s philosophies are predominately shaped by the influences of Buddhism can be seen in such instances as when he is angry or upset instead of confronting the issue he finds a quiet place to practice Zen. In the end Jia Baoyu renounces the world and becomes a Buddhist monk. Throughout the chapters the author also makes allusions to famous Buddhist texts in various character’s compositions and stanzas. As the compound is in close proximity to many monasteries there are many instances of visiting nuns responsible for blessing birthdays and celebrations as well as assisting in prayers and mourning.
Jia Baoyu is said to have been born with jade in his mouth which is an elemental allusion to the spiritual realm concurrent with Taoism’s primordial creation myth of the three pure ones. Other Taoist elements include Bao-yu’s Phantom Realm which is similar to that of a Taoist’s Dream-land, monks coming to perform funeral rites, visits to monasteries, mystic medicine and protective charms.
And while Baoyu refused to ascribe to Confucianism, he followed many of its traditional practices without ascribing to its study in part due to his Confucist father, Jia Zheng. Such practices attributed to Ancient Chinese societal structure followed by the Jia clan and their household help include filial piety, ancestor worship and the belief in spirits.
Femininity
Women play a huge role in the upbringing and thoughts of protagonist, Jia Baoyu. Within the famous love triangle between the three cousins there are two sides, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. Both women have qualities the other lack and are foils of the author’s ideal Chinese woman. One the one hand, Lin Daiyu is dainty, spontaneous, passionate and emotional while on the other Xue Baochai is sturdy, calm, intelligent and tactful. Lin Daiyu captures Jia Baoyu’s heart, but Xue Baochai is his intellectual match. In contrast to other male characters, Baoyu is compassionate and thoughtful due to his strong female relationships with the Twelve Beauties of Jinling.
More so than any religious study, Baoyu’s life is influenced and enhanced by an unusually long and heavy female presence which was unconventional to the normal separation of genders during the Qing dynasty. Given the fall of the Jia household is brought about by male thinking of normal Han-Chinese education, the strength in the unconventional female led Rongguo House and Hseuh-Chin’s forward thinking in regards to female empowerment and sexuality, there are often scholarly studies within Redology that interpret the novel in a feminist light.
Chinese Culture
Despite being written in vernacular Chinese instead of classical as per standard, the novel is very aware of being considered art and what constitutes Chinese tradition. Hsueh-Chin includes knowledge and excerpts from the majority of the main three religion’s famous texts as well as devotes an enormous chunk of his character’s interests to poems and creating poetry. At the time, poetry was seen as a high-brow art form while novels weren’t held in such esteem and were rather low-brow. The author was meticulous in his descriptions of cultural expectations, class protocol and manners thus psychology and philosophy of Chinese at the time. He also provided great detail in things like food, medicine, clothing, aesthetics and amusements of the time. Essentially in depicting the psychology, traditions and realities of the characters, the author is able to provide insight on what it meant to be Chinese within the social structures of the Qing dynasty.
Love
Lin Diayu and Jia Baoyu's tragic love story of destiny as the Precious Jade and the Black Jade show the distinction between married love and romantic love. Romantic love often known as "crazy" love shows the problem with forming attachments over the stability of commitment based love that comes with marriage.The fact that their love occurs at a time and place in a society where arranged marriages were standard practice, the central romance seems to encourage romantic free will rather than traditional values set in the other Chinese classics.
