Dreaming of China's classic red chamber in Turkish

In a significant step for cross-cultural literary exchange, Dream of the Red Chamber, a famous 18th-century Chinese novel, has been translated into Turkish for the first time.

Released in January, the translation is the culmination of a five-year effort by Giray Fidan, a Sinologist at the Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, who hopes to introduce the complex narrative of love, power, and impermanence to Turkish readers.

Written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Dream of the Red Chamber chronicles the opulent rise and tragic decline of the house of Jia, a fictionalized representation of Cao's own aristocratic family.

Interlacing themes of fate, spirituality, and societal stratification, the novel is celebrated for its psychological depth and vivid portrayal of traditions, from court etiquette to traditional medicine.

Alongside Journey to the West, Water Margin, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it forms the quartet of Chinese classics that have shaped the country's literary consciousness for centuries.

Fidan, a professor in the Department of Eastern Languages and Literatures, describes the translation process as a dialogue across time and space.

He explains that so far, he has translated only the first 30 chapters of the 120-chapter novel, noting the considerable effort involved in rendering such a monumental work. His research included consulting experts in a range of fields, such as classical Chinese architecture, herbal medicine, and Qing-era folklore, to ensure that both language and cultural nuances are captured accurately.

The novel's structure, Fidan says, is strikingly modern: each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger, a narrative device Cao used to hook readers, akin to that used in today's binge-worthy TV series.

Cao's aristocratic family fell into ruin during his youth, giving him unique insight into both the elite and commoners. "The novel is not just for the highly cultured or aristocratic. It bridges these worlds, making it accessible to all," Fidan adds.

For over 250 years, Dream of the Red Chamber has spawned a dedicated academic discipline in China: "Redology", in which scholars dissect its symbolism, historical echoes, and even culinary details.

Fidan hopes the Turkish edition will ignite similar fervor, believing Turkish readers, too, will find layers to unravel in this book.

To aid readers, he plans a companion guidebook decoding the novel's sprawling cast and cultural nuances.

The translation arrives amid growing Turkish interest in Chinese culture, in particular literature. Fidan envisions the novel as a catalyst for deeper Sino-Turkish dialogue.

"To understand China, you must read its history and then its literature," he says.