Dream of the Red Chamber
红楼四百人物全赏
Cao Xueqin named more than four hundred people and let most of them disappear into the crowd. Between 1975 and 1985, Xiang Li painted 413 of them — one face each, matriarch and scullery maid alike. She was the first artist to finish the whole cast. This book gives every one of them a page, an inscription and a name.
- 413
- named characters
- 264
- pages, full color
- 10
- years of painting
- 9
- households
Why this book costs what it does
Ten years of brushwork nobody had attempted.
Painting the twelve beauties is a genre. Painting all 413 named figures is not — it had never been finished before Xiang Li finished it, because most of the cast are servants, monks, bit players and ghosts with a single line. Each was painted in ink and watercolor on rice paper in the gongbi tradition, and each carries its own inscription. The series was completed in 1985 and is printed here in full for the first time.
- Ink and watercolor on rice paper, painted c.1975–1985
- 10 × 12 in hardcover, 264 pages, full color
- 413 named characters across nine households
- Title calligraphy by Shanmao Wu 吴善茂
Ten years, four hundred faces
Xiang Li 李湘 worked at the Palace Museum in Beijing for four decades. She painted the Red Chamber cast in the ten years before the empresses, finishing the complete set in 1985 — the first Chinese artist to do so. Her daughter, Fei Wu 吴菲, edited the volume from Boston; the title is in the hand of Shanmao Wu 吴善茂.
“Everyone paints the twelve beauties. I wanted the ones nobody paints.”
Exhibited, featured & collected
Where these paintings have traveled
-
Qingdao Museum
Who it's for
Readers of the novel
Four hundred and thirteen faces for a cast you have been holding in your head for years. Including the ones with one line.
Painters and students
A complete gongbi series in one volume — figure after figure, each with its inscription.
Libraries and museums
The full set, printed together for the first time since 1985. Institutional and resale pricing below.
Order direct
Signed by both Xiang Li and Fei Wu
Standard copies ship worldwide from Mixam, printed to order. For a signed copy — inscribed by both the painter and the editor — order here instead. Same $120, free shipping inside the US.
Before you buy
Questions people actually ask
What exactly am I getting?
A 10 × 12 in hardcover, 264 pages, full color throughout, covering all 413 named characters.
When were the paintings made?
Between about 1975 and 1985. The complete set was released in 1985.
Is this the same as the collection page?
The collection page is the gallery — you can browse every character there for free. This is the printed volume.
Who signs the signed copies?
Both of us — Xiang Li signs in Chinese, Fei Wu in English. You can request an inscription.
Why does checkout happen on Mixam?
Mixam is the printer. Ordering there means your copy is printed for you rather than pulled from stock, which is also why there is never a sold-out.
Is there a Chinese edition?
Yes — the same paintings with the text in Chinese. See the Chinese edition.
Do you sell to libraries and museums?
Yes. Institutions can be invoiced, and resale pricing is 50% off list. Write to us.
What about bulk orders?
Discounts start at five copies. See the table below.
How long does it take?
Printing takes about a week, then shipping. Signed copies take longer because they go through us first.
Bulk pricing
| 5–9 copies | $102 each | 15% off |
| 10–24 copies | $90 each | 25% off |
| 25+ copies | $78 each | 35% off |
| Museum & retail resale | $60 each | 50% off |
Four hundred and thirteen people. One book.
Everyone in the novel, including the ones the novel forgets.
Every painting in this book can be seen for free in the collection — one page per portrait, with its story. Browse the paintings →
Questions about an order? Write to xiangliart@gmail.com