Writer Hsien-Yung Pai focuses on the theme of “the force of tragic in the last 40 chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber - Baoyu’s taking in tonsure and Daiyu’s death” and offers an in-depth analysis of the relationships and human nature of these classic characters.
The Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course: the first lecture was given by writer Hsien-Yung Pai (middle). Dr. F. C. Tseng, chairman of TSMC Education and Culture Foundation and Dr. Ho Hocheng, President of National Tsing Hua University also attended the lecture.
The Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course sponsored by TSMC Education and Culture Foundation has attracted over 500 students to attend.

500 Students Eagerly Enrolls in TSMC Education and Culture Foundation Exclusively Sponsored "Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course at Tsing Hua University"

Melody Lee

TSMC Education and Culture Foundation (TSMC Foundation) supports diversified educational platforms. In 2020, the Foundation firstly and exclusively sponsored "Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course on Dream of the Red Chamber" and held them at National Tsing Hua University. Worldwide prominent scholars on Dream of the Red Chamber studies () were invited to plan and host the series of lectures, guiding the students to explore the profundity of Chinese literature. The course has attracted more than 500 students to enroll.

Ten Worldwide Hongxue Scholars Guiding Students to Explore Dream of The Red Chamber from Multiple Perspectives

TSMC Foundation pays long-term attention to the development of humanities education, making efforts to cultivate humanity and culture in the younger generation through initiating diversified educational projects and providing resources. Since its first publication, the Chinese classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber has attracted countless worldwide readers. The studies on this novel (Hongxue) have never ebbed. This year, TSMC Foundation collaborates with Center of Language Education, the Department of Chinese Literature, Centre for General Education of National Tsing Hua University to organize the Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Courses on Dream of the Red Chamber, consisting of 17 lectures over three months. The course is open to all Tsing Hua students of all academic disciplines in all grades to enroll, aiming to guide the students to explore one of the most important Chinese classic novels.

The lectures offer multiple analytical approaches to Dream of the Red Chamber - literary criticism, aesthetics, gender studies, theatre and contemporary technology - led by Hongxue scholars with a variety of academic background. The opening lecture was given by writer Hsien-Yung Pai, who is dedicated to promoting traditional art and culture, the renaissance of Kunqu, and Chinese classic literature. Pai's opening lecture focused on the theme of "the Force of Tragic in the Last Forty Chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber - Baoyu's taking the tonsure and Daiyu's death" and offered an in-depth analysis of the relationships and human nature of these classic characters.

At the same time, the courses also invited the following scholars to give speeches on this classic novel from various angles: Professor Ronald Egan of Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University, whose lecture "Honglou meng, World Literature and the Challenge of Translation" discusses the challenges of translating literature in detail; Professor Catherine Yeh of Chinese and Comparative Literature of Boston University analyzes the novel from the perspective of gender; Yi-Long Huang, academician at Academia Sinica and distinguished chair Professor of Institute of History at National Tsing Hua University analyses the material culture in Dream of the Red Chamber with big data. These specialists unveiled the mystery of this classic novel of two hundred years with in-depth analysis.

Offering Free Online Courses to Cultivating Literary Appreciation in Our Society

Once open for enrollment the course has attracted over 500 students, which exceeded the expected number, and become the most popular general education course for this semester at Tsing Hua University. The feedback from teachers indicated that this course has generated a trend of reading classical literature among students. The students also said, " Professor Pai's analysis helped us to understand the complex world of Dream of the Red Chamber. As Professor Pai described, the beauty of this book is worth close reading for a whole semester or even a lifetime."

TSMC Foundation will continue to create diversified educational platforms inside and outside the educational system. We hope to inspire younger generation’s interest in humanity and literature. Through those courses and lectures, we hope to enrich the literary environment in a higher education establishment that is steeped in engineering and science atmosphere and to cultivate a taste for literature among the young students.

- Dr. F. C. Tseng, Chairman of TSMC Education and Culture Foundation

As a way to give back to the society and offer a form of enriching spiritual life, TSMC Foundation has managed to record the Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course on Dream of the Red Chamber and will offer the free online course through the Open Course Ware of Tsing Hua University and the official website of TSMC Education and Culture Foundation for the public to enjoy and experience the enduring charm of classic literature.

The Hsien-Yung Pai Literature Course Lecture Syllabus

Date
(2020)		 Lecturer Course Description
03/04 Hsien-Yung Pai "The Force of Tragic in the later 40 Chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber - Baoyu's taking in tonsure and Daiyu's death"
03/11 Li-Chuan Ou, Professor of Department of Chinese Literature "'Clown' and 'Mother Goddess' - Granny Liu's Metamorphosis"
03/18 "The Meaning of Noble Culture in Modern Life"
03/25 Yi-Long Huang, academician at Academia Sinica and distinguished chair Professor of Institute of History, National Tsing Hua University. "The Tangible Culture in Dream of the Red Chamber"
04/01 Hsien-Hao Liao, Professor of Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Taiwan University "Hidden Truth and Apparent Lies in Dream of the Red Chamber: First Metafiction in the Civilizations of East and West"
04/08 "Dream of the Red Chamber's 'Solitude in the Red Chamber': Writing between Riddle and Allegory"
04/15 Sabrina Huang, acclaimed writer "Microcosm in a Word in Dream of the Red Chamber: Wang Xifeng's 'business'"
04/22 "Microcosm in a Word in Dream of the Red Chamber: Gold, Jade, Woods and Stones"
04/29 Yi-Wen Lo, Assistant Professor of Department of Chinese Literature, National Tsing Hua University "Withered Woods and White Snow: Reflections on the Conflict between Baochai and Daiyu"
05/06 Catherine Yeh, Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature of Boston University "Arcades in Shanghai - Re-Staging Dream of the Red Chamber"
05/13 "Theatre Adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber and the Birth of Tragic Female Characters in Modern Peking Opera"
05/20 Ronald Egan, Professor of Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University "Honglou meng, World Literature and the Challenge of Translation"
05/27 "Dream of the Red Chamber's use of Subplot in its Narrative Strategy"
06/03 Hsien-Yung Pai "The Modernity of Dream of the Red Chamber: Symbolism, Myth and Allegory, Perspectives of the Novel, Gender Issues"
06/10 Ayling Wang, Professor of Department of Theatre Arts, National Sun Yat-sen University "A Play like a Dream: the Life and the Stages in Dream of the Red Chamber"
06/17 "Dramatizing Dream of the Red Chamber: Legendary Performances of Dream of the Red Chamber in Theater"
06/24 Chia-Hsien Yang, Associate Professor of Department of Chinese Literature, National Tsing Hua University "Skeletons in Pinky Red: Writing Desire in Dream of the Red Chamber"