Twenty-seven-year-old Hangzhou woman Hu Nan works for a Sino-foreign company, but she has become famous for her other job: writing a sequel to the Chinese classic "A Dream of Red Mansions."

 

Hu Nan

Hu Nan's huge project began when she was 15 years old. "The reason was very simple," Hu Nan explains. "I was too fascinated with the book. I have read the book dozens of times, but I didn't like the last 40 chapters written by Gao E, so I decided to rewrite it on my own."

 

Since then, Hu Nan has rewritten the novel three times. She consulted many other versions written by famous writers in the Qing Dynasty. Hu Nan thinks that although the scholars had much more historical knowledge than her, their versions had somewhat violated the author's original idea.

 

In 2004, Hu Nan posted some parts of her writings on an online forum. To her surprise, her story received much positive feedback. Encouraged by the forum members, Hu Nan continued her writing and finally finished the last 108 chapters.

 

Deng Suifu, an expert on the study of "A Dream of Red Mansions," says Hu Nan's work is special. Among the many writers who have written endings for the book, Hu Nan is the youngest. Because of her age, she can better understand the feelings of the characters in the book and write down their destinies.

 

A publishing house has decided to publish Hu Nan's book, which will hit bookshelves next January.

 

(CRI December 5, 2006)