| The Dream of Red Mansions | |
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The Dream of Red Mansions' intertitle |
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| Also known as | 红楼梦 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Cao Xueqin (original novel) |
| Directed by | Li Shaohong |
| Creative director(s) | Ye Jintian |
| Starring | Yang Yang Jiang Mengjie Bai Bing Yao Di Zhou Caiqin Gui Yalei Ma Xiaocan |
| Country of origin | China |
| Language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Han Sanping |
| Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Picture format | 16:9 HD |
| Original airing | July 6, 2010 |
| 'The Dream of Red Mansions | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 红楼梦 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 紅樓夢 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Hónglóu Mèng | ||||||
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The Dream of Red Mansions is a 2010 Chinese television series, produced by Han Sanping and directed by Fifth Generation director Li Shaohong. One of the most expensive Chinese TV series ever made at RMB118 million (US$17.55 million),[1] it is a new adaptation of the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber. The series, comprising 50 episodes, made its debut on July 6, 2010 on 9 terrestrial networks across China.[2]
The director was originally slated to be Hu Mei, but Hu clashed with the producers over the cast selection, and was replaced by Li Shaohong in October 2007.[3][4] The 2010 TV series faced controversy over its cast, the stylized, kunqu-inspired hairdo, as well as a generally negative press after its July 6 debut.[5][6]
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Unlike the 1987 version, this series adapts the Cheng-Gao version. The 2010 series reproduces large segments of the book's pre-modern Beijing dialog, often in full.[6] Another feature is its heavy use of a male voice-over reciting much of the book's narrative.
The 2010 remake was controversial from the start, since the 1987 version was highly acclaimed and few critics were convinced a modern version will match its predecessor. Following a highly publicized casting call, in 2007 director Hu Mei was replaced by Li Shaohong. Li courted more controversy by adopting a stylized kunqu-inspired hairstyle (dubbed "coined heads" 铜钱头/銅錢頭 (Tóngqián tóu) by netizens) for her female cast members, as advised by Hong Kong art director Ye Jintian. Many viewers find the hairstyle grotesquely unrealistic.[7][8]
Response to the series after its debut was mixed,[9] but was largely negative.[10] It was panned by some newspapers,[11][12] with one referring to it as a pre-modern version of the pop idol drama Meteor Garden.[13] Audience expressed dismay over its use of music,[3] which some likened to be more appropriate for the ghost series Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. The use of make-up was also criticized. Some Redologist scholars voiced their disappointment with the somewhat juvenile acting and script adaptation.[14] Director Li was under enormous pressure owing to the negative feedback and broke down during a Beijing press conference held on 7 July 2010, her birthday.[8]
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