New and old dreams

• Source: Global Times
• [10:58 July 13 2010]
• Comments

"It maintains a lot of original dialogue, keeping the language alive and similar to the 18th century," said Sun Xun, an expert on A Dream of Red Mansions at Shanghai Normal University.

The narration in the new version is another fault according to many critics and viewers, but literary expert Ma Ruifang disagrees: "I think it is the highlight of the series, which expresses subtext that cannot be shown in images."

She also praised the performance of 16-year-old actor Yu Xiaotong, who plays the young version of the central character Jia Baoyu in the television series.

"He shows the mischievous nature of Jia," commented Ma.

The opponents

The 1987 version was an important part of growing up for many Chinese viewers, and it is difficult to abandon the music, characters and settings of the original in exchange for this new, and many believe, inferior production.

But the new show is letting down the traditionalists in some very superficial ways, from the unusual soundtrack to the costumes.

Some complain that the young version of another major character Lin Daiyu, played by Jiang Mengjie, has a baby face, which is too far removed from the sad and sickly character in the book. Her copper-coin bangs have also caused a stir.

Other complaints involve the music, which some say is indicative of Dark Tales, a famous Chinese novel of ghost stories, accusing the new version's soundtrack of being too dark and brooding.

Plagued by constant comparisons to the original 1987 series, Li Shaohong said that she quite understands viewers' concerns but also insisted that the two shows completely different.

"The two versions are not comparable. Times are changing and there should be new elements and forms added into the show." She also said that no one could make a complete and perfect copy of the novel. "At least we are carrying on the cultural heritage."