Study Of The Western Utensils Image In "the Story Of Stone"

"The Story of Stone" is a masterpiece in the history of Chinese literature, and anencyclopedic novel encompassing every aspect. The very research has not beensuspended from the book emerged, thus become a specialized sector. It attractsthousands of famous scholars to do further research on it. One of these aspects isWestern utensils. Through these colorful Western items, we can feel the luxury life ofthe Jia family. Further more, the Western goods is like a mirror, reflecting theinteraction in political, economic, cultural and other aspects during the period in whichCao Xueqin was living.The Western utensils appears more than70times, containing clocks, glass, mirrors,glasses, food, medicine, arts, crafts and etc., reflecting the situation of Western utensils’prevalence in China at that time. With The Great Discoveries of Geography in the15thcentury, Oriental paradise dream drove Western countries to come along, thebusinessmen wished to acquire wealth, missionaries hoped to open up new pastoralareas, and the Western utensils also arrived in China, and gradually accepted by theChinese. The Western missionaries utilized these Western goods, science andtechnology achievements as well to attract local officials and scholars, to arouse theircuriosity and greed, in order to seek and establish friendship, acknowledge the Chineselanguage, understand local customs and morals, and then disseminate the culture ofWest and missionary activities. Due to the less widespread, regardless of the emperor orcourtiers, Western utensils were been looked as luxury items, hence the Emperor ofQing Dynasty often use them as a reward granting to the officials of state, in order toachieve the political purpose. Be aware of the emperor’s fascinating Western goods, theofficials often search for novelty Western goods to win favor. Whether to the emperor,or the royalty, to the rich people, the desire for Western goods is all passionate. As thedirectly "imported" foreign goods are very expensive, and so difficult to meet thedemand, the local manufacturing arising. Watches producing, for example, was not onlyin the palace, but in single small workshops especially in other developed regions likeSuzhou and Guangzhou, even then the watch industry gradually developed into anindustry and developed fast. And the local manufacturing western utensils, in order tocater to the Chinese’s habits, has been added some "Chinese symbol".The function of Imagology is to study the reason, mechanisms and the complicatedperformance of exotic image engendered in national culture; and the goal must beachieved by analysis on the functions of the" image". During the Ming and QingDynasties, the Western goods carried by Western missionaries, including localmanufacturing goods all can be seen as the image of "other", along with "the other" isWestern culture. According to the degree of difference between the local culture andforeign culture in the eyes of the national writers, the national writers are divided intothree types: the basic attitude of the foreign culture "Fever","disgusting" and "friendly".Under the traditional Chinese values of the "Daoqi" and Yixia, although most of the people took the second attitude, but there were also others having the desire for equalcommunication with West, and treating Western utensils as the creation of wisdom.Onewho took "friendly" attitude is also existed.Such as Cao Xueqin revealing in the bookof "The story of Stone".Through the research of his grandfather Cao Yin, I think thatthat Cao Xueqin’s attitude of West was inherited from his grandfather.