Liaoyang Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall

At No. 2 Woshi Hutong in Liaoyang, the cool gray brickwork of the Wu Mansion preserves a literary origin story. This two-entry quadrangle, covering thirteen hundred square meters, is the only memorial hall dedicated to Cao Xueqin in Northeast China. Established in August 1997, the compound contains twenty-one brick-and-wood, gable-roofed rooms. Visitors enter beneath a gold-lettered name plaque hand-brushed by scholar Feng Qiyong.

Inside, the architecture speaks of Qing Dynasty elegance. Heavy overhanging eaves cast deep shadows across winding corridors, painted beams, and prominent pillars. In the center of the courtyard, a bronze statue of Cao Xueqin sits on a stone, holding a manuscript with a thoughtful gaze. Nearby, a massive hawthorn tree drops bright red fruit onto the courtyard floor during the northern autumn.

The museum's four exhibition rooms display the physical evidence of the author's ancestral roots. Ink rubbings of three local stone tablets show the carved name of Cao Zhenyan, the author's high ancestor, dating back to 1630. Visitors can examine the yellowed pages of the Cao Family Genealogy and the personal poems of Cao Xueqin's grandfather, Cao Yin, signed with references to nearby Mount Qianshan. These documents trace the family's journey from Liaoyang to imperial prominence and eventual decline, providing the raw material for A Dream of Red Mansions. Traditional poetic couplets hang at each doorway, framing the quiet galleries.

The scent of old paper and the sight of rare editions of the novel connect the physical structure of this former residence of Wu Enpei to the fictional world of the Grand View Garden.