STORY OF THE STONE
By staff reporter SUN LEI

　　Unfit to repair the azure sky, I passed some years on earth to no avail; my life in both worlds is recorded here; whom can I ask to pass on this romantic tale?"
　　In remote antiquity heaven was destroyed, and it went to Goddess Nu Wa, who, according to Chinese legend, created human beings from mud, to make repairs. For this mammoth task she collected thousands of stones, using all but one. The one left over stayed unheeded in Infinite Space for tens of thousands of years, until it was incarnated in the person of a boy (Jia Baoyu) from the family of a rich official. This is the fantastic story that Cao Xueqin (1715-1764), the great 18th century Chinese novelist, tells in the first chapter of his masterpiece, A Dream of Red Mansions. Regarded as one of the finest epic novels of China, this 120-chapter classic recounts the sensual pleasures and vicissitudes of fortune of a large family during the final days of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with particular emphasis on the love tragedy between the boy, Jia Baoyu, and his pretty but delicate cousin, Lin Daiyu. Full of allusion, mystery and metaphor, this long story is too complex to be understood fully, even for Chinese scholars who have devoted their lives to its study. It is even harder for Western readers to grasp the whole beauty of the work in the English version, lost in the process of translation from one language to another. However, there is now another medium through which to become acquainted with this story -- the photo album by American photographer, Linda Ching, entitled Story of the Stone.
　　The album is a visual interpretation and illustration of the first five chapters of A Dream of Red Mansions. Graceful pictures are juxtaposed with an English translation of the text amongst tasteful layouts. Beautifully costumed women, an ancient gateway, a garden at sunset, spring blossoms, calligraphy on color-faded paper, grainy shots of stone sculptures, and an arched bridge graced by willows reflected in the pond beneath……these photos have a poetic quality which evokes an air of ethereality. This surrealistic ambience is enhanced by the use of filters, color saturation, double-exposures and digital technology. As the author states in her preface, she "created these images hoping to illuminate the Western mind to the magnificence of Cao Xueqin's masterpiece in a way that English translations have not."
　　Linda Ching, a Hawaii-born third-generation Chinese American, embarked on photography as a career 20 years ago. Ching first won fame with her debut album, Hawaiian Goddesses, in 1987, and later published another three highly acclaimed books on Hawaiian mythology: Ano Lani, The Hawaiian Monarchy Years, Hawaiian Memories and Powerstones. Although Ching did not inherit much knowledge of China from her parents, she is aware of inherent, physical inclinations towards her ethnic culture. When she came across a simplified edition of A Dream of Red Mansions in 1995, she was immediately mesmerized by the story, and inspired to start a project on the work.
　　Many of her friends believed Ching, who does not speak any Chinese, had set herself an impossible goal. But this lady of small stature has an indomitable spirit. At the time of the Chinese New Year in 1995, Ching flew to Beijing. This was her first trip to China. "When I got to Beijing, the feeling was very different from anything I had experienced. It felt like coming home, there were a lot of similarities," recalls Ching. But she soon realized the country within the literature no longer existed. To recapture elements of a past dynasty, this photographer traveled to Beijing, Suzhou and other cities in China at different seasons. She received much help from Peking University, the Beijing Film Studio and Beiputuo Film and TV Base. In order better to understand the book and remain loyal to the author, Ching consulted many Chinese scholars, including Zhou Ruchang, eminent writer, scholar and a leading authority on A Dream of Red Mansions, and Yang Xianyi and his wife, who co-translated this work into English. When she got confused about some aspects of the plot, a common occurrence in those days, she would stop work, and return to the text for further scrutiny. "Story of the Stone is my tribute to a master artist. While I exercised some creative license, I nevertheless tried to the best of my ability to remain true to the original text. I hope it conveys the essence of the story and encourages readers to explore further," explains Linda Ching.
　　When Story of the Stone was finished in 1997, it was widely acclaimed in American art circles. People believe it has played a major role in bridging Western and Chinese cultures. When Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited the United States in 1999, the Governor of the State of Hawaii presented him with this album as a gift.
　　On October 24, 2000, Linda Ching staged a photographic exhibition at the Chinese Art Gallery in Beijing. Photos from both the Story of the Stone and Hawaiian Goddesses were selected for the showing as a means of illustrating the photographer's two origins: China and Hawaii. At the opening reception, senior members of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and The Chinese Photographers' Association highly commended Ching's artistic achievements, and thanked her for her efforts in introducing Chinese culture to the West. The governor of Hawaii also sent a letter of congratulation.
　　"Pages full of fantastic talk, penned with bitter tears; all men call the author mad, none his message hears," signed Cao Xueqin in desperation 200 years ago. Now his message has been heard, and seen as well, by people from all the way over the other side of the planet.