Lost in translation for more than 40 years

An unpublished English translation of the Chinese classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber by the writer and translator Lin Yutang (1895-1976) has been uncovered in Japan, Nankai University in Tianjin recently announced.

The novel, written by Cao Xueqin in the 18th century, is widely considered the pinnacle of Chinese fiction.

Two complete English versions were published in the 1970s - one by David Hawkes, a British Sinologist, with the title The Story of the Red Stone, and another by Yang Xianyi and his wife, Gladys Yang, titled A Dream of Red Mansions.