| For so many years most studies on A Dream of Red Mansion was conducted in the view of Han culture. This thesis introduces the view of Man culture, puts this literary work in the macroscopic prospective of the cultural integration of Manchu and Han and explores its trait on cultural background, author's state of mind, text connotation; on this basis, this thesis will also review some biased ideas and defects caused by the single view of Han culture in the studies of A Dream of Red Mansion, and tries to come up with more reasonable explanations.The thesis adopts the methods of combining historical materials with explication and carries on the comprehensive discussion from four dimensions, including cultural background, the author, the text, and readers. The main body of the thesis includes six chapters:Chapterâ… discusses the background of Beijing Eight Banners culture in which A Dream of Red Mansions produced and Beijing Eight Banners cultural identity of A Dream of Red Mansions. Chinese culture in the Qing Dynasty has multi-cultural nature. It takes Han culture as the main body, as well as takes Manchu culture as the important guidance. Beijing Eight Banners culture with profound significance produced in the course of buffer evolution from conflict to tune between Manchu culture and Han culture. Beijing Eight Banners culture in the Qing Dynasty is the outstanding model of blending of Manchu culture and Han culture. It's essentially a kind of aristocratic culture with lofty and fine nature. Its leisure nature is a dominant character distinguished from scholars' culture with long history. This kind of Manchu culture with leisure nature is the most direct cultural background in which A Dream of Red Mansions produced. The Jias in A Dream of Red Mansions is a miniature of Manchu aristocratic family in Kangxi and Qianlong's Spirit of the Qing Dynasty. On the external characteristics of culture, the Jias are so powerful and wealthy that ordinary Han bureaucrat family can not match. Moreover, the manor economy, the house slave system, the culture of horsemanship and archery and Manchu custom, further mark the characteristics of Manchu family. On the internal tradition of culture, the Jias are not the successors of scholar's culture in central plains area. Jia Baoyu, called "rich and honor idler", is a special product of Beijing Eight Banners culture. He combines a multi-cultural temperament and embodies spirit and temperament of Manchu noble descendants who have both Manchu superior status and deep Chinese cultural details. In addition, Beijing Eight Banners culture provide A Dream of Red Mansions with the distinctive language. Cao Xueqin not only displays skilled Beijing accent in A Dream of Red Mansions firstly, but also contributes modern Beijing style literature.Chapterâ…¡analyzes the dual influences of Manchu culture and Han culture on Cao Xueqin. Firstly, the thesis concludes that Cao Xueqin could not be allowed to leave Eight Banners and become a citizen by combing related policy of the Qianlong period. Secondly, it discusses Cao's cultural psychology and cultural ownership centering on his servant status in Office of the Imperial Household of the Qing Dynasty. Because he was born in the family of booi, Cao Xueqin was affected dual cultural impact regardless of his national ownership. The Caos belonged to both Manchu nationality and Han nationality. They had high-ranking status though they were servants in the Qing dynasty. All these had the enormous influence to Cao Xueqin's psychology and personality. As a Manchu, Cao Xueqin lived in Eight Banners cultural circle in his most of time. He had Manchu consciousness inevitably and merged into an organic whole with Manchu. But on the other hand, the status of booi was very humble in Eight Banners. Cao Xueqin fell into the difficult position when his family declined, which stimulated his consciousness of Han nationality. But he was not certain to have anti-Manchu thinking. At last, it studies Cao Xueqin by classifying him as Manchu literati. In the Qianlong period, the clan literati, such as Dun cheng, Yong zhong, and some other famous Manchu litterateurs around them constituted group of Eight Banners literati. They formed a unique life style of Eight Banners literati by indulging in poem, wine, painting, calligraphy, touring and religion. Cao Xueqin belonged to this group and his style of life was similar to them. Chapterâ…¢studies from the aspect of culture on institution. The first section analyses the economic life of the Jias referring to Banner system. The whole picture of economic life of Manchu aristocratic family in 18th century is reappeared really in A Dream of Red Mansions by a great deal of vivid description. The novel records Manchu nationality's backward serfdom productive relations and descript it in the whole economic environment of the Qing Dynasty, thus reveals the reason for the deterioration of big feudalism family from economic aspects. It not only outlines the elementary contour of Manchu manor economy in 18th century, but also reveals increasingly grim livelihood question of Eight Banners in the Qianlong period by concrete example of the Jias. The second section analyses the house slave system of the Jias referring to some historical data. The house slave system of the Jias is same as neither western slave system nor Chinese tradition servants system. It really reflects unique characteristics of servants system in the Qing Dynasty formed by Manchu's entering the Central Plains and vividly depicts each kind of servants' survival condition, mental outlook and intricate relations between master and servant in Manchu aristocratic family. The third section discusses Manchu's horsemanship and archery culture written in A Dream of Red Mansions. The horsemanship and archery is not only the distinctive national character, but also an important system of Manchu nationality in the Qing Dynasty. Several plots about horsemanship and archery in A Dream of Red Mansions reveal the decline and transformation objectively in the Qianlong period.Chapterâ…£studies from the aspect of culture on custom. A Dream of Red Mansions contains abundant of Manchu custom. In this thesis, Manchu customs viewed in a narrow sense are refer to Manchu old customs, while viewed in a broad sense also include Eight Banners' popular customs which based on the old Manchu customs, at same time mixed with the Han customs. Customs has the nature of inheritance, variability and innovation, so Manchu customs formed after Manchu's entering the Central Plains are not pure. Life customs of Manchu in A Dream of Red Mansions include dress customs, such as pigtail, Chinese-style gown, arrow sleeve; diet customs, such as Manchu dessert, wild food; and other customs such as female natural feet, female smoking, etc. Social customs of Manchu in A Dream of Red Mansions include appellation customs, such as meme, booi, nionio, eje, aha; etiquette customs, such as saluting by going down on the left knee while the right arm droops forward, paying respects to elders every morning and evening; and other customs, such as getting married at night, giving birth to the child on the grass, etc. Apart from all of these, there are some entertainment customs and belief customs of Manchu in A Dream of Red Mansions.Chapterâ…¤studies from the aspect of cultural criticism. The whole life of Cao Xueqin beard intense vibration caused by blending of Manchu culture and Han culture. He was liable to surmount limitations and absorb the merits of two kinds of national cultures because of his special background and experience. Cao Xueqin developed his counter-Confucianism thoughts by the stimulation of his real life. At same time he inherited ideological trend in Wei and Jin period. The stern hierarchical system of Manchu society combined with traditional feudal code of Han Nationality, which made feudal code severe in the upper classes of Eight Banners. As a member of Manchu aristocratic family, Cao Xueqin experienced severe and hypocritical Eight Banners' rules of etiquette by himself, that's the basic reason for his counter-Confucianism thought coming into being. Cao's counter-Confucianism thought is different from Dai Zen's counter-Neo-Confucianism thought, but they coincide on a higher level. Cao Xueqin's progressive views on women were the result of blending of Manchu culture and Han culture. They were influenced not only by the progressive ideological humanities trend of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also by Manchu traditional culture. Cao Xueqin's respect to women was a succession to Manchu special tradition. There are many vivid descriptions of customs in A Dream of Red Mansions about women in Manchu society, such as managing the household by the females, valuing the daughter and respecting intermolecular. From these we can see the important influence of Manchu culture on Cao Xueqin's views on women. Cao Xueqin carried on a deep historical perspective to the Qing dynasty on the basis of his introspection to the tragedy of his family. His introspective spirit get a response in zheng hong qi xia written by Laoshe.Chapterâ…¥analyses from the angle of media studies and discusses the important impact on the spread of A Dream of Red Mansions. Manchu used to love novels, especially romantic fictions, which provided a good cultural atmosphere for the spread of A Dream of Red Mansions. It aroused strong repercussions among the Manchu firstly in the initial days after it's published. And it was closely related with Manchu culture from beginning to end in its popular days in the Qing dynasty. The early dissemination of A Dream of Red Mansions proceeded in very small scope. In fact it is a small Manchu reader group. It's wide and rapid dissemination afterward was partly attributed to Manchu literati's highly praise to it. Zidishu sprang up in the Qianlong period. The story of A Dream of Red Mansions spread more widely after being reorganized by this kind of popular acrobatics.
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