Topic: Truth becomes fiction when fiction is true

[PandaCollector]

“Truth becomes fiction when fiction is true[/b]; real becomes unreal when the not-real is real.”

By Peter Anthony



The hot sun has set the Beijing sky in motion and thunder clouds gather overhead. Soon there will be a storm that will drive all the visitors in Daguanyuan Park to shelter. There was no shelter for Cao Xueqin in his lifetime, but his own creative deluge immortalized his world. The Cao Xueqin coins, just like this park in Beijing, are an attempt to bottle a tiny bit of that magic, a little of the soul that Cao Xueqin poured into his writing. ...

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/8230/Chinese-coins/

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide 3jmjkmjumnAA`qqQZ
Home of the 2020 Valentine Panda
www.pandacollector.com

[Mirkkanen]

I read that book in college. I still remember characters Bao Yu and Lin-Dai Yu, and the tragedy of their story, but I recall the title translated as "Dream of the Red Chamber." I was surprised to see the author and the novel commemorated on Chinese coinage when I first started collecting.

[PandaCollector]

I read that book in college. I still remember characters Bao Yu and Lin-Dai Yu, and the tragedy of their story, but I recall the title translated as "Dream of the Red Chamber." I was surprised to see the author and the novel commemorated on Chinese coinage when I first started collecting.

That must have been an outstanding college course. There is so much to talk about with this book that there's no end. The title has been translated at least three different ways in English: "Dream of the Red Chamber," "Dream of the Red Mansion," and "The Story of the Stone." It really is the "Great" Chinese novel and is still going strong 250 years later. At least one of the author's living quarters in Beijing still exists and is preserved as a historical monument. Part 2 of my account (NGC in May) will look at the coins that depict the story itself.

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide 3jmjkmjumnAA`qqQZ
Home of the 2020 Valentine Panda
www.pandacollector.com

[PandaCollector]

Two photos of the same 1984 silver-plated Cao Xueqin medal:



Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide
Home of the 2020 Valentine Panda
www.pandacollector.com

[Hippanda]

 Peter -

Great detailed photos - thank you. Can you kindly provide same detailed photos of the reverse ?
Which IMO are equal in importance to obverse? Very beautiful, precise, artistic, and detailed.  Thank you

[PandaCollector]

This is the opposite side of the same medal. The diameter is just 34mm.

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide
Home of the 2020 Valentine Panda
www.pandacollector.com

[PandaCollector]

This photo of the Cao Xueqin medal is the final version. Thanks to everyone for their input. I really like these medals, as well as his book!

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide
Home of the 2020 Valentine Panda
www.pandacollector.com