Nanjing Metro meets Dream of Red Mansions

Xiangyun lies drunk on the peony cushion is at Wudingmen subway station. [Photo/People.cn]

Nine of the 29 stations on Nanjing Metro Line 3 are decorated to represent scenes from the Dream of Red Mansions.

The new line, which went into operation on Wednesday, covers a length of 44.87 kilometers.

Dream of Red Mansions was composed by Cao Xueqin in the mid-18th century and comprises 120 chapters, the first 80 of which were written by Tsao Hsueh-chin and the remaining 40 by Kao Hgo, covering a vast array of Chinese culture and social life.

In the Grand View Garden, where the tragic stories unfold, many picturesque episodes take place. The cultural walls in the metro stations present nine of them; Baoyu in Illusory Land of Great Void, Yuanchun mothering, Miaoyu tastes tea, Twelve Beauties of Jinlin which refer to the twelve excellent ladies in the novel; New Year’s dinner; Xiangyun lies drunk on the peony cushion, Daiyu Buries Fallen Flowers, Grant Liu in the Grand View Garden and the Crab-Flower Club and the themes of chrysanthemum.

"Dream of the Red Mansions is a well-known masterpiece in the world of literature and it is closely associated with the city of Nanjing. Combining it with Nanjing Metro is a perfect combination of the classical and modern," said a Nanjing citizen.