The morning sun of the Red Chamber casts a shadow, old friends are far away, the poet Swallow flies, sending forth long thoughts— "Reading the Red Chamber by Author Swallow the Great Hero"
Luo Jing
“What is love in the world? It makes people willing to die for each other.” With the opening of the scroll, fellow student and greatly chivalrous friend, Master Yan, in mourning for the peerless actress Chen Xiaoxu, composed “A Farewell to Hong Lou Xiaoxu.” Yuan Haowen's “Ballad of the Geese,” with its desolate inquiry, suddenly emerged. The poem's tender "birds flying together north and south," and the sorrowful "mountain spirits weeping in the wind and rain," seem to serve as notes for this friendship that transcends time and space. A beautiful woman's fate is unfortunate; extraordinary intelligence leads to injury. The kindred spirit friendship between Master Yan and Chen Xiaoxu, the embodiment of Lin Daiyu for a generation, makes one sigh deeply upon closing the scroll.
The great hero Yan showed outstanding talent from a young age. At sixteen, he was admitted to Changsha College of Communications to study road and bridge engineering, but he also wielded influence as the founder of the “Maple Leaf Literary Society.” This literary youth, who styled himself a successor to the Shaolin tradition, further established the “Student Martial Arts Association,” serving as its president. Amazingly, he graduated with a legendary academic record of no failed courses before joining the People's Communications Publishing House. However, his heart yearned for literature, and he eventually went south to Hainan with a recommendation from the magazine ”Chinese Writers.” There, amidst the coconut breezes and banana rain, he stumbled upon the cast of "Dream of the Red Chamber" during their tour. When Chen Xiaoxu, clad in simple white, shattered the autumn scenery of Qiongzhou with her rendition of "Burying the Flowers," sparks flew from the poet's pen as follows:
Qiongdao's golden autumn heat wave recedes, The "Dream of the Red Chamber" crew heads south to the sea.
Zhou Leiman Ling invites, Grandmaster Xiaoxu on stage.
The tenth month's poetry overflows to the ends of the sky, At the pavilion's edge, the night's first chill arrives.
A haunting tune of "Burying Flowers" surprises everyone; in the book, Daiyu descends to the mortal realm.
This bond of kindred spirits, mediated by poetry, was encapsulated by the great hero Yan as a lament: “The fate of Bo Ya and Zi Qi reborn.” After Xiaoxu returned to Beijing, correspondence flowed between them. Author Yan Fei was in the midst of a creative surge at the time, with ”100 Girls in Hainan” causing a sensation. His "Hainan Without Dreams" was published in "October" and reprinted by numerous newspapers. Poet Chen Xiaoxu, admiring his talent, found a kindred spirit in him and they became close friends. High mountains and flowing water, a true friend is hard to find; years later, the great hero sorted through old letters, seeing the past in objects, inspiration struck, and he etched into a poem the fleeting glimpse of life from that year: "Holding your hand, we laughed through the jianghu."
From Asahikawa to Kyoto, I send my regards through a flying swallow;
We are kindred spirits as literary friends, often remembering each other with hesitation.
We meet again in the imperial capital on a long day, raising our cups and singing face to face.
Holding your hand, we laugh at the world; a poetic youth, also romantic.
Yet, as fate would have it, Grand Hero Yan traveled across the ocean, and Xiaoxu married and became a wife. Later, the beautiful woman made a grand transformation, wandering the business world. However, the business sea was turbulent, leaving her deeply wounded, and she even shaved her head to become a nun. The poet, across the vast Pacific Ocean, imagined her receding figure with “black hair falling in the shadow of a Buddha's lamp.”
The vibrant sleeves are shed, then she turns. In the sea of commerce, she rises and sinks, amassing fortunes.
Wuliangchun wine drowns my sorrows, Golden Terrace built breeds illness.
In the lamplight, dark hair falls, the sound of the wooden fish broken, old karmic ties severed.
My confidant is scattered across thirty thousand miles, it's hard to meet in North America from the Celestial Empire.
The great hero is sentimental. Xiao Xu, having given up treatment for breast cancer, passed away at a Buddhist retreat in Shenzhen. Her life was a fragrant tale, now her scent has vanished. Hearing this tragic news from across the ocean, Hero Yan was heartbroken, as if the Grand View Garden had been shattered, the landscapes faded. His liver and intestines were torn apart, and tears streamed down his face. Last month, the hero wrote "Snake Year Dream Talk" to mourn his beloved. Feeling it still insufficient to express his grief, he composed a classical long poem in the style of Tang Dynasty poetry, titled "The Red Chamber's Xiao Xu Departs," where every word is stained with rhododendron blood.
Xiǎo Xù rides a crane to heaven, Billions of fans weep their hearts out.
A great hero sighs deeply abroad; for years, sorrow has been unforgettable!
The most heart-wrenching part of the entire poem lies in the dialogue that transcends time and space. The epiphany of “Heaven now has Chen Xiaoxu, the human realm has lost Daiyu's soul,” coupled with the anticipation of “If the Story of the Stone were to continue in future years, a strange fate of flying swallows would be written for an old friend,” ultimately elevates friendship into an eternal theme.
Yan Fei, Zhang Li, Chen Xiaoxu
Although I have not personally experienced this legend, through the youth of “singing while drinking” and the ink fragrance of “swallows sending flying geese,” I have touched upon the ultimate realm of mutual appreciation among literati. Though the beautiful figures of the Red Chamber have long since vanished, those moments frozen by words—the fleeting glance of flower burial upon their first meeting on Jade Island, the shared smile of the martial world upon their reunion in the capital—have long surpassed life and death. The dream of the Red Chamber's old friends are far away, and longing is sent to the boundless underworld. I believe you, great hero, can still return to a bright and romantic world from the pain of losing your beloved, and write more romances and poetic pictures.
Don't cry, hero. Your physical body will become your closest confidant, and your soul will be reborn, with Xiaoxu watching over you. One day, you will reunite in another space and time.
Classmate Yan the Great Hero: A Science and Engineering Man's Leap to a Romance Writer
After graduating from university at the age of 20, Yan Fei was assigned to Beijing, where he worked as an editor at the People's Communications Publishing House. That was a job many students envied. However, a few years later, Yan Fei was not satisfied with life in the capital; he abandoned Beijing and rushed to the tropical island, joining the tide of 100,000 talents heading to Hainan. His experience in Hainan enriched his life, tempered his will, and also paved the way for his literary career. Yan Fei left Beijing for Hainan at the age of 24, serving successively as a supplement editor for "Hainan Special Zone Daily," assistant editor-in-chief for "Hainan Youth Daily," and deputy editor-in-chief and executive editor for the Haikou Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles' literary magazine "Coconut City." He published novels, poetry, essays, and other literary works totaling over a million characters in literary magazines such as "Chinese Writers," "People's Literature," and "Tianya." What made him famous overnight was his novel "No Dreams in Hainan," published in "October." This full-length novel was serialized and reprinted by dozens of newspapers and periodicals, including "Yangcheng Evening News," "Liberation Daily," and "Chongqing Daily." Later, Yan Fei created "Hainan Wakes from Dream" and "Hainan Seeks Dream." These three novels were published by China Social Publishing House, billed as the Hainan Dream Trilogy, which became bestsellers nationwide, filled the shelves of major bookstores, and were collected by the National Library and various local libraries, becoming incredibly popular in the mid-1990s. His works have won provincial and municipal literary awards and ministry awards, becoming iconic literary works of the period of great development in Hainan Province during that era.
Yan Fei gained fame in literary circles with his bestselling trilogy, including "No Dream in Hainan." Later, his novel "The Heist: A Woman's Glory and Shame" was published by Guangzhou Publishing House and serialized in the Yangcheng Evening News. His works of non-fiction, such as "Glory and Sin," and his essay collection "Yan Fei's Dream Talk," also received critical acclaim. At the turn of the century, at the peak of his success, Yan Fei, unwilling to rest on his laurels, left the "tropical island" (Hainan) and went abroad, settling in Canada to make new choices. Having traveled for half his life, he knew the joys and sorrows personally and could not forget his love for literature. He frequented various cultural associations in Canada, attended numerous cultural festivals, and traveled back and forth between Canada and China every few weeks. Due to his literary achievements and influence, Yan Fei was elected Chairman of the Canadian Chinese Writers Association, a fitting recognition of his accomplishments.
The Chinese Writers Society of Canada (CWSC) is a literary organization registered with the Canadian federal government. Its purpose is to unite writers in Canada who write in Chinese. In March 2025, the Chinese Writers Society of Canada held its election for new leadership, and Yan Fei was re-elected as the president for a second term.
In addition to his work as a writer, Yan Fei actively participates in cultural exchange activities. He is frequently invited to give lectures, both online and in person, on literary themes. In one lecture, he discussed the relationship between the Nobel Prize in Literature and Chinese writers, focusing on Wang Meng, a leading figure in contemporary Chinese literature, as well as other Chinese writers closely associated with the Nobel Prize, such as Shen Congwen, Han Shaogong, Mo Yan, Can Xue, and Yu Hua. Furthermore, Yan Fei held a themed sharing session a few years ago in Haikou titled “Literature and the Distant: From Hainan to North America,” showcasing his literary journey from Hainan to North America. He has traveled extensively worldwide over the years, with his footprints across many countries and regions, adhering to the life goal of "reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles." Through various forms of cultural exchange activities, Yan Fei has promoted the mutual learning and integration of Chinese and Western cultures, contributing to the exchange of Chinese and foreign literature.
Master Yan's tearful work, "Red Chamber Dawn," is adorned with magnificent prose and a profound artistic conception, making it a rare masterpiece among contemporary classical poems. Upon its release, it garnered widespread acclaim from the poetry community. It is appended below.
Appendix: "Red Chamber Dawn Dance"
Qiongdao's golden autumn heat wave recedes, The "Dream of the Red Chamber" crew heads south to the sea.
Zhou Leiman Ling invites, Grandmaster Xiaoxu on stage.
The tenth month's poetry overflows to the ends of the sky, At the pavilion's edge, the night's first chill arrives.
A haunting tune of "Burying Flowers" surprises everyone; in the book, Daiyu descends to the mortal realm.
In the golden coast of the nineties, soulmates meet by chance and rejoice.
What books should I discuss with Pinqing? A hundred women in Hainan.
The destined reunion of Boya and Ziqi, two immortal poets of high mountains and flowing water.
A dream of the Red Chamber startles the world, looking back at past memories with a smile.
The Crimson Pearl Immortal Grass was cultivated in heaven, Banished to the mortal realm, tears filled her cheeks.
Anshan maid first recites willow catkins; spring breeze and subtle fragrance appear from the brush.
The lady Chen Xiaoxu excels in poetry, her plain paper and light ink hide her sharp wit.
The casting director tested the makeup, and Director Wang helped Lin recognize her unique talent.
Tai Xu (the Great Void) and Daiyu descended to the mortal world, Their past lives staged in a dream-like famous drama.
Three years of dreams, few ask; half a year on air, the world knows.
The opera stage suddenly appears with a Xiang River shadow, a frown, a smile captures enchanted souls.
Daguanyuan blossoms in the third month of spring, the flower-burying woman in the Dream of the Red Chamber.
From Asahikawa to Kyoto, I return; swallows carry letters between two lands.
We are kindred spirits as literary friends, often remembering each other with hesitation.
We meet again in the imperial capital on a long day, raising our cups and singing face to face.
Holding your hand, we laugh at the world; a poetic youth, also romantic.
The vibrant sleeves are shed, then she turns. In the sea of commerce, she rises and sinks, amassing fortunes.
Wuliangchun wine drowns my sorrows, Golden Terrace built breeds illness.
Fortune and disaster, life and death, are but moments away. A frail, sickly body clings to monastic robes.
In the lamplight, dark hair falls, the sound of the wooden fish broken, old karmic ties severed.
My confidant is scattered across thirty thousand miles, it's hard to meet in North America from the Celestial Empire.
Scattered drafts carry my longing, Night after night, clear moonlight shines on the cold moon.
The screen still reflects her hibiscus face, her poetry manuscripts linger, her fragrance still drifts.
Suddenly, a mournful sound is heard from the East; a wisp of green smoke returns to the Dao.
Xiǎo Xù rides a crane to heaven, Billions of fans weep their hearts out.
A great hero sighs deeply abroad; for years, sorrow has been unforgettable!
Do you not see?
People lament Lin Daiyu in vain, but who understands the immortal bond's unburned debt?
When Chen Xiaoxu entered heaven, the soul of Daiyu was no more in the human world!
A generation's jade beauty recorded in history, a snake year's dream whisper from past lives.
If the Story of the Stone is continued in the future, Yan Fei's fated encounter will recall old friends!
Author Introduction: Luo Jing, Professor of Bridge and Road Engineering. Vice Chairman and Legal Representative of Guangxi Highway Society. Graduated from Changsha Jiaotong University with a major in Highway and Bridge Engineering. Former Professor at the School of Bridge and Road Engineering, Guangxi Transport Vocational and Technical College, specializing in bridge and road teaching. Member of the China National Democratic Construction Association. Long-term engagement in teaching and scientific research in bridge and road engineering. Pioneer of rap lectures for professional courses. Participated in 6 provincial and ministerial-level scientific research projects, led the writing of 4 local standards and 2 group standards. Received second and third prizes for excellent scientific and technological achievements from the National Archives Administration, second prize for social sciences from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government, and two third prizes for scientific and technological progress from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Obtained 6 intellectual property rights. Published 4 academic monographs. Published nearly 40 papers in professional journals, including Chinese core journals. Enjoys literature and occasionally writes poetry and prose when inspired.
