# The Story of the Stone (Volume I)

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/cao-xueqin/the-story-of-the-stone-volume-i

![The Story of the Stone (Volume I)](https://quivercdn.com/covers/penguin/cao-xueqin/the-story-of-the-stone-volume-i_978-01-4193-516-4.jpg?v=2026-04-24%2000%3A03%3A26)

- Authors: [Cao Xueqin](https://www.bookquiver.com/cao-xueqin)
- Language: en_GB
- Published: 2006-03-30

## Description

The Story of the Stone (c.1760) is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The first part of the story, The Golden Days, begins the tale of Bao-yu, a gentle young boy who prefers girls to Confucian studies, and his two cousins: Bao-chai, his parents' choice of a wife for him, and the ethereal beauty Dai-yu. Through the changing fortunes of the Jia family, this rich, magical work sets worldly events - love affairs, sibling rivalries, political intrigues, even murder - within the context of the Buddhist understanding that earthly existence is an illusion and karma determines the shape of our lives.

## Editions

### The Story of the Stone (Volume I)

- Publisher: Penguin
- Medium: ebook
- ISBN: 978-01-4193-516-4
- Published: 2012-08-30
- Language: en_GB

### The Story of the Stone (Volume I)

- Publisher: penguin_classics
- ISBN: 978-01-4044-293-9
- Pages: 544
- Published: 2006-03-30
- Language: en_GB