A Dream in Red Mansions

Based on the mid-eighteenth century novel by Cao Xueqin, Beijing's CCTV's version of "A Dream in Red Mansions" (aka Dream of the Red Chamber) is known by many to be the ultimate and best adaptation of the story either on TV or film. It is a story about the tragic love of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, and the prosperity and decline of the four notable feudal ruling-class families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue. Daiyu is a beautiful and talented girl, but prone to ill health. The intelligent and carefree Baoyu, nonetheless, shows love toward her over the years and puts up with her sensitivity and ill-tempered personality. They, along with their family-favored and tactful cousin Xue Baochai, reside in the Grand View Garden.