Twenty years after CCTV shot the classic TV series "The Dream of Red Mansion", one of the most successful TV series based on a historical novel, CCTV has decided to shoot another one. This time, actors and actresses for the leading roles will be selected through a TV contest.

"The Dream of Red Mansion", is a well-known classic novel written by Cao Xueqin. It tells the story of a large family in the mid-eighteenth century. There are hundreds of characters in the novel through which the society of the time is vividly reflected.