Jia Baoyu has been fond of girls since he was a child. In his eyes, "Daughters are flesh and blood made of water, and men are flesh and blood made of mud. When you see a daughter, you feel refreshed, and when you see a man, you feel turbid and smelly." Through the ages, Jia Baoyu has been fond of girls. Baoyu is the spokesperson of the "Sage of Love" in the eyes of everyone, so he has always been known as the "Sage of Love". He has always been the representative of the amorous princes. The unparalleled love and emotional marriage disputes between him, Daiyu and Baochai in the past and present life This further consolidates his status as the embodiment of "love". However, in "A Dream of Red Mansions", Cao Xueqin not only spent a lot of space writing about the joys and sorrows of Baoyu and the sisters in the garden, but also described Jia Baoyu's interactions with the only few handsome men: The alliance between wood and stone, the golden marriage, also illuminates a clearer and purer relationship between men. So, now, let’s talk about the types of relationships between Jia Baoyu and men, and where did they originate? What kind of unknown side of him does it reflect?
1. Types of Baoyu’s same-sex love
The phenomenon of same-sex love that is widely discussed in "A Dream of Red Mansions" mainly exists among men. In addition to the male protagonist Jia Baoyu, the characters involved include Qin Zhong, Jiang Yuhan , Liu Xianglian , Xiang Lian, Yu Ai, Xue Pan , Jia Lian . In the text description and narrative, the above-mentioned characters all reflect the phenomenon of "Rise of Longyang" to a certain extent, but in terms of expression, Jia Baoyu, Qin Zhong and others focus on spiritual thoughts. On the contrary, Xue Pan Jia Lian and others focused on physical sensations. Regarding these two different expressions of same-sex love, the difference in attitude expressed by Cao Gong is obvious to all. We can say that the contrast between the two has already revealed Cao Gong's attitude.
(1) The true love of Bao Qin's "love friend"
In the seventh chapter of the text, it is written that when Jia Baoyu went to Yanning Mansion, it was the first time Jia Baoyu met Qin Zhong. The article states that Qin Zhong's figure and behavior seemed to be better than Baoyu's. She is timid and shy, somewhat like a girl. When Jia Baoyu met Qin Zhong, he "felt like he was missing something. He was obsessed with it for a long time, and he had another silly thought in his mind..." Then Qin Zhong's sister Qin Keqing told Baoyu: "Although he is shy, he is He is an orphan by nature and not very easy-going." After this sentence, there is a comment that reads, "A true description of Qin Zhong, double reflection of Baoyu." It can be said that the temperaments of the two of them are similar from appearance to inner temperament: one has a "face like the moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and color like the flowers of spring dawn"; the other has "fair eyebrows, pink face and red lips"; the other has "behavior" "Remote and eccentric", one is "a lonely person, not very easy-going". It is conceivable that behind Baoyu's "dumbfoundedness" reflected in a series of actions of first being surprised, then happy, and then ashamed when he saw Qin Zhong, there must be a big inner turmoil after seeing his similarities. Therefore, that " Only the "devil incarnation" who is "stupid and afraid of reading articles" will take the initiative to discuss with Qin Zhong the "quick solution" to school. The real reason behind Baoyu going to school is reflected in "It's not because of being handsome that it's hard to be embarrassed, it's because of being romantic that you start studying." Later, the two entered a private school together, sat together and stood up together every day, and soon developed a deep relationship. In the ninth chapter of the text, the story of two people attending a private school together provides a more profound and detailed description of their relationship. The significance of this letter is extraordinary. Cao Gong used the word "love friend" to define the relationship between Baoyu and Qinzhong. What is a "friend"? If we use the closeness of our current best friends to explain it, it may not be accurate enough.
The extraordinary relationship between Baoyu and Qin Zhong is inseparable from the social and cultural environment at that time. We need to put the relationship between the two into the specific background of that era in order to clear up the fog. Let’s first think about the general environment of the private school where the two of them go to study. The text describes that there are children of the same family and some relatives in the private school. There are many people, a mixture of good and bad, and there are all kinds of people. Baoyu and Qinzhong undoubtedly stood out among this group of people because of their appearance, personality, and status. Also, because of their mutual attraction in temperament, they were very close to each other every day, which made other people in the family school appreciate them. Bad thoughts arise about the behavior, and rumors spread.Through the description of the text, we can read that the relationship between Baoyu and Qin Zhong was indeed unusual at that time, and there was a possibility of homosexuality. However, Cao Gong immediately explained that those bad thoughts were the gossip of the dirty people. . If we think according to Cao Gong's thinking logic, readers who have suspected that Baoyu Qin Zhong is gay will be classified as "dirty characters".
Then how should we interpret the friendship between Bao and Qin? On the one hand, the author describes their relationship as extremely unusual, positioning it as a "love friend", triggering our infinite associations, but on the other hand, he denies it. So what exactly? We need to find out more. It is said below that Xue Pan also entered this private school to study, but on the contrary, he did not come to study to obtain fame, but because there were many young and middle-aged students in the private school, he came up with the idea of Longyang , and then he passed Using money and the sweetness of petty profits, he had abnormal relationships with many young people in the family school. From the article, we can know that same-sex relationships are a very common phenomenon. It is no exaggeration to say that in private schools in feudal society, same-sex sexual intercourse is a common and normal phenomenon. . Returning to historical reality, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Longyang incident did occur among the feudal families, and it was basically a secret fact. Regarding same-sex matters, Baoyu Qin Zhong had a close relationship with Xiang Lian Yuai, who had a same-sex relationship with Xue Pan, and the four of them looked at each other with each other's eyes. The original text states that the four of them are interested in each other, but they do not express it clearly. After going to school every day, the four of them would look at each other affectionately, and would express their feelings with words from time to time. We can easily read from the narrative of the article that the Longyang style of the feudal school has contaminated Baoyu Qin Zhong, and they at least have a Longyang tendency. From here we can easily see that the relationship between Baoyu and Qin Zhong is not just a simple homosexual love, but has the characteristics of homosexuality. However, this result is a specific product of that era, and we should not compare them with the present. Homosexuality refers to the same thing. What we now think of as homosexuals is a type of people who only have hormonal feelings for the same sex, and are not interested or even disgusted with the opposite sex. However, Bao Qin’s emotions can be known from the description of emotional interactions with Xiren and Zhi. They are not just for the opposite sex. People of the same sex are interested in the same sex and have normal emotional and physiological needs for the opposite sex. Therefore, we cannot blindly and absolutely classify them into the category of homosexuality. To be precise, none of the men in the text should be simply classified into the category of homosexuality, because they all There are both concubines and maids who dote on them, and men who dote on their mistresses, which is similar to a bisexual expression. For example, in Chapter 21, when Jia Lian was staying in the study room, he was so horny that he caught a boy venting his anger. It is worth mentioning that homosexuality in ancient times is very different from homosexuality today. To be precise, homosexuality today should be homosexual patients. Today, with the development of society and culture, people's concepts are also changing, and gradually Accept the different natures of love and regard them as normal emotional expressions, different from conventional emotional tendencies.
From the descriptions in the seventh and ninth chapters of the text, we can see that Baoyu was young at the time, and there is a high possibility that he was unconsciously following the bad habits in the big family. He did not do it intentionally, but Qin Zhong's timid and shy daughter's attitude was extremely tempting to him, or Baoyu became curious about it. We do not deny that Bao Qin and Long Yang are suspected of having the same sex, but we should distinguish them from Jia Lian and Xue Pan's pure physical sense satisfaction and promiscuity, and look at their affection from a relatively objective perspective. Cao Gong defines the relationship between the two as "love friends", which is obviously explaining their different emotions. Compared with Jia Lian and Xue Pan's dirty emotions, it can better highlight the purity of their emotions and give readers a new perspective. Look at their differences. Baoyu and Qinzhong's "friendship" relationship has nothing to do with identity, status, or wealth. It only stems from mutual "admiration". Their different relationship is purely due to their admiration for each other's character and simply because the other person is handsome. looks and behaves differently from others.Otherwise, how could Jia Baoyu be willing to associate with a "rotten and smelly man" with his temperament? To be precise, if analyzed from a historical perspective, Xue Pan and Jia Lian were not homosexuals as we define them today. Their identity itself was that they were dandy children of a large feudal family, and their behavior naturally imitated the disciples of other aristocratic families in their living environment. It is very possible that their behavior was done unconsciously. In other words, they did not think that they were gay, but it was just a way of having fun among wealthy disciples. Therefore, this kind of corrupt lifestyle was normal at the time. , is also very common and will not be as sensitive to it as we are today.
(2) The tenderness of Baohan’s “close friend”
Let’s talk about the first meeting between Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan. In the twenty-eighth chapter of the text, it is written that Jiang Yuhan and Jia Baoyu met for the first time at Feng Ziying 's house to play games and drink. Among them, it was written about Baoyu's attitude towards Jiang Yuhan. Compared with his reserved and reserved behavior when he met Qin Zhong, Baoyu's behavior Slightly bolder: "Baoyu felt very nostalgic for him when she saw him being charming and gentle, so she held his hand tightly." Obviously, Baoyu's attitude towards Jiang Yuhan was much more cordial and bold compared to Qin Zhong's. The reasons for this are nothing more than the following points. First, Jiang Yuhan's status is lower than Qin Zhong's, and he is a special type. She is Xiaodan in the troupe. Because she is affiliated to Prince Zhongshun's palace, her status is higher than that of ordinary actors, but she still belongs to the lower class. The second reason is that Jiang Yuhan's Qiguan name was relatively famous at the time. Jia Baoyu had heard about it for a long time but had never met him, which added a touch of mystery to his heart. From Jia Baoyu's attitude towards Jiang Yuhan, we can infer that Jia Baoyu has heard about Jiang Yuhan for a long time, and has some understanding of his character, temperament and life. Although he has not seen her, he has put him in his own camp. Otherwise, Baoyu's Temper, no matter what palace he is from, there is no need to pay attention to it.
In the 93rd chapter of the text, it is written that Baoyu went to Lin'an Bo's house with his father for a banquet, and happened to hear Qi Guan singing his favorite opera "Zhan Huakui". The article said that "Baoyu's soul was singing so hard", and from then on, He even believed that Qiguan was extraordinary and different from ordinary Xiaodan actors, and his weight in Baoyu's heart became even greater. There doesn't seem to be any unusual description in the text except for the description of the two holding hands and changing objects to commemorate each other. But in fact, their exchange of objects is not such a simple matter. In ancient times, exchanging personal items meant showing goodwill and mutual acceptance. Even today, exchanging personal items is a common practice between lovers. It means showing goodwill to each other and deepening their feelings. Therefore, in the thirty-third chapter of the text, when the long historian came to find Qi Guan and Baoyu quibbled that he did not know Jiang Yuhan, when the long historian revealed the trump card—Jiang Yuhan’s red sweat scarf, the last of all Jia Baoyu’s sophistry His words seemed pale and feeble, and he himself knew that in the face of irrefutable evidence, he could only "confess his guilt" obediently. The article describes the "collapse" of Baoyu's psychological activities, "thunderbolt shook his soul", and "stunned". This series of Baoyu's psychological activities can reveal that the relationship between him and Qiguan is much deeper than a simple exchange of sweat towels. , much more complicated. The article describes how Baoyu held his hand tightly when they came out to talk. This holding was very meaningful. In our normal life, when two grown men chat together, no physical movements are required, at least no close physical contact, such as holding hands, and this is unusual. Generally speaking, girls, especially good friends, behave more intimately, but this is not the case between boys. The same is true today. Let's imagine that on the street, two big men holding hands are always very strange and look very awkward. In the article, the two not only held hands, but also showed nostalgia. At this time, we can see the affection between them. Next, the two people exchange objects. Baoyu gave the jade fan pendant to Jiang Yuhan, and Jiang Yuhan gave Baoyu a close-fitting sweat towel in return. In today's terms, a sweat towel is a belt.After the two of them went to the toilet, they took off their belts and gave them to each other. After reading the text describing their interactions, we can infer that the feudal family Longyang was flourishing in society at that time. We cannot know the physical contact between Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan, but the mutual admiration and mutual favor can be determined. The sweat scarf has the meaning of "tying up" close friends. It is usually exchanged by boys and girls to express their affection. It is a symbol of love. Therefore, Xiren in the article will use his sweat scarf to express love. It means that now, young men and women still use belts to tie each other to express a meaning of never being separated. Therefore, this sweat scarf is really meaningful and can be used as the basis for the same-sex love between Jia Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan. However, from the later period when Jiang Yuhan married Xiren, it can be seen that the relationship between them was not a narrow "homosexuality", but an attraction to each other's emotions, character, and temperament.
(3) Baolian's "Xiayou" Admiration
Let's discuss the relationship between Baoyu and Liu Xianglian. In the 47th chapter of the text, Baoyu and Liu Xianglian went to the study room next to the hall to talk alone. It can be seen that Jia Baoyu and Liu Xianglian were good friends with Qin Zhong. Unfortunately, they were deceased. In addition to missing their old friend, they were connected in their hearts. And care for each other. For Baoyu and Liu Xianglian, we have never defined homosexuality, but a more pure homosexual love, because we can read their full affection in the article, but a more accurate expression of this affection is that between friends Affection.
So, what we are discussing is same-sex love. As explained above, same-sex love is not the same as homosexuality. Liu Xianglian’s identity is a child of a declining family. Naturally, the situation in the family is not as powerful as that of the Jia family. Liu Xianglian and Jia Baoyu and Baoyu are about the same age, share the same interests and hobbies, and play happily together, so they can be called "playing friends". Liu Xianglian and Qin Zhong also know each other. People of the same age can always find the same hobbies, so their relationship will also be improved. Liu Xianglian once deceived Xue Pan into teaching him a lesson because he was verbally provocative and frivolous. Therefore, we can infer from Liu Xianglian's attitude of hating Xue Pan that Liu Xianglian is not as good as Long Yang. The attitude we are talking about is not Talking about Xue Pan's arrogant attitude, or Xue Pan's own abomination, it's Liu Xianglian's own self-esteem, self-love, and the pride in his blood. There is no specific description of Liu Xianglian's appearance in the article, except that he is young and beautiful. However, judging from Xue Pan's flattering attitude towards him, Jia Baoyu's principles for making friends - good looks, decent manners, more or less some... As a girl, we can know that Liu Xianglian's appearance is definitely not bad, and we can know from Xue Pan's case that because of his appearance, people who don't know his identity often mistake him for an actor, so Liu Xianglian should not be Avoid being harassed or even despised by such nasty people. This is absolutely intolerable in Liu Xianglian's heart, and Jia Baoyu's attitude towards it fully reflects the respect Liu Xianglian needs, and the common characteristics of the two people attract them together, becoming an extraordinary love. good friend.
We are here to look at and analyze Jia Baoyu and the few true friends he interacted with from a new perspective.
2. The true temperament embodied by Baoyu’s same-sex love
From the text description, we can see that Qin Zhong, Jiang Yuhan, Liu Xianglian and Baoyu have many similarities in appearance, behavior and temperament; She is more like a daughter, behaves freely, and has a really perverse temperament. By discussing the same-sex love between Jia Baoyu and the three of them, we can understand some of Jia Baoyu's other more hidden characteristics from the speech and behavior of the other three people. It can also be said that Cao Zhengzheng showed us through the other three people. Jia Baoyu outside the Grand View Garden. We can find Jia Baoyu's extra shining points from Qin Zhong, Jiang Yuhan, and Liu Xianglian, and also understand his way of performance. It is also from Jia Baoyu's same-sex love that we discovered his other true temperament.In the description of the text, it was a real world full of "dirty people". The pedantic father regarded him as a "rebellious son" because he had no intention of pursuing a political career. Although the old-fashioned mother loved him very much, it was not because of Baoyu. His own behavior is because the mother needs spiritual comfort after losing her eldest son. Zhong Lingyuxiu's maid sisters such as Baochai and Xiangyun Xiren, who she usually associates with, often persuade Baoyu to focus on career, and Daiyu although she is spiritually He is a confidant, but he cannot fully understand his own thoughts, and he often has some minor quarrels. It is also because of Baoyu's spiritual alienation from those close to him that he is more willing to invest in the outside world to find friends and identity. Therefore, we can say that his interaction with Qin Zhong and others is an emotional journey of finding himself, affirming himself, and appreciating himself.
So what kind of "self" did Baoyu discover in these same-sex friends? That is, what do they have in common with ?
The first thing is to pursue freedom and not to follow the trend. In feudal society, the hierarchy was strict and behavioral etiquette was extremely important. However, in the eyes of Jia Baoyu and others, these are just shackles and insignificant existences. They are rebels against feudal ethics and pursue a more self-centered, free and equal environment. Jia Baoyu disliked the so-called fabricated serious books other than the "Four Books". He did not like to associate with mediocre men such as scholar-bureaucrats who blindly pursued fame and fortune. He is keen on career and dislikes stereotyped writing. He does not care about the prosperity and disgrace of his family, and is not prepared to fulfill his responsibility and obligation to assist the country and the people. His social life falls into three categories. One is passive but complacent officialdom socializing, such as with Bei The second one is the friendship with Prince Jing, the second one is the diplomacy of a playboy who is passive but contented, such as the friendship with Feng Ziying, the third one is the diplomacy of civilians (including the children of declining aristocratic families) and untouchables who are both active participants and have some kind of connection, such as the friendship with Feng Ziying. Friendship with Jiang Yuhan and others. He is such a person who does not do his job properly, but has always shown his true nature to the world. His interactions with Qin Zhong and others fell into the third category, and were the only things he took an active part in besides the Grand View Garden. Qin Zhong belongs to the Han family, Jiang Yuhan belongs to the Xiaodan class, and Liu Xianglian belongs to the declining young master. They are all in the opposite class to the Hou family children. However, in his interactions with them, Jia Baoyu fully embodied the concept of equality and no distinction between family backgrounds. He was even ashamed that he was born into a wealthy noble family and did not get to know them early, thinking that his so-called wealthy aura had humiliated them. What attracted Baoyu to Qin Zhong and others was the freedom and sincerity he pursued.
And these qualities are also the basis for Jia Baoyu’s interaction with them. In fact, Qin Zhong, Jiang Yuhan, and Liu Xianglian are all proud. Although they are inferior to others in terms of status, they all have their own persistence and their own shining points. From Jiang Yuhan's escape from Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, it can be seen that his escape was planned because the house was prepared in advance. He wanted to escape the humiliation of being toyed with by others. Because Xue Pan disrespected him, Liu Xianglian planned to beat Xue Pan to avenge his shame and express his position. Correspondingly, we can see from their way of interacting that Jia Baoyu does not treat them with any contempt. He regards them as confidants and treats them as equals. From them, he feels uncomfortable and restricted in the Hou family. And pickled fish. There is no sense of family status in their relationship, no exchange of interests, and no greed for gain. What they do have is their temperament, conduct, and behavior. They are neither arrogant nor conceited. They come together because of their noble interests, always maintain independent and equal personalities, and insist on pursuing the freedom and liberation of individuality. Have the courage to resist and relentlessly pursue the life you want. Jiang Yuhan got rid of her status as an actress through struggle, started her own theater troupe, and married Xiren, which can be regarded as fulfilling her life ideal. Liu Xianglian did not want to be attached to Jia's family, so she relied on others and started her own business. Although he eventually became a monk, he was still a real man who was unyielding and brave enough to fight. Although their specific constraints are different, Jia Baoyu is bound by the feudal family, and they are bound by social environment and status, but they are all fighting and working hard in their own way.Therefore, they formed a spiritual alliance to encourage, comfort and support each other.
The second thing is to value love and justice. If they just had the same anti-ethical thoughts, their affection would not be so deep. Another important point, which is also the main theme throughout "Dream of Red Mansions", is love. They are all people who value love and justice. First of all, they treat women with affection. Unlike men of that era who played with women, they treated women as human beings and gave them a certain amount of respect, which was extremely rare at the time. And this is extremely important for someone like Jia Baoyu who regards her daughter as truth, goodness and beauty. Baoyu himself treated the sisters and maids in the garden as little as they could. He washed his face with the water used by the maids and sisters, drank the soup they had tasted, and followed the wishes of his daughters in everything. He treated them with a sincere heart, regardless of their status. They are different depending on their status, which is in sharp contrast to Xue Pan and Jia Lian's attitude towards women. But Qin Zhong was seriously ill because of Zhi Zhi, and was sad because Zhi Zhi was expelled and disappeared, and finally went to hell. Jiang Yuhan respected Xiren very much because of Baoyu and Xiren's own consideration. She did not look down on her because Xiren had made her a child, and gave Xiren a relatively intact home in the Grand View Garden. Because Liu Xianglian misunderstood You Sanjie's character, she committed suicide to prove her innocence. She regretted not becoming a monk and ending her mortal relationship, which also fulfilled You Sanjie's infatuation. They are both extremely affectionate, and this kind of affection is for others and themselves; this kind of affection is also the basis of their interactions with each other; this kind of affection makes their entire personalities stand out in that era. Hence the second point, they value righteousness. After Jiang Yuhan married Xiren because of her relationship with Jia Baoyu, she was gentle and considerate, took good care of her, and tried her best to help Jia's family when it was in decline. Even though she was not well off, Liu Xianglian still remembered Qin Zhong's mourning period and renovated his cemetery so that the deceased could rest in peace. Their actions may seem trivial, but they actually reflect their sincerity and can be said to be a breath of fresh air in that cannibalistic era.
Conclusion
In Qin Zhong, Jiang Yuhan and Liu Xianglian, the author embodies characters and temperaments that are different from Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, Xue Pan and others, and their fragrances are all related to The treasures and jade are connected. It is precisely with the descriptions of Qin Zhong and others that the character image of Jia Baoyu is fuller and the whole book has more new ideas.
References
[1] Cao Xueqin. Zhi Yanzhai's complete critical edition of "The Story of the Stone". Beijing: People's Publishing House, 2006.
[2] Li Hongyuan. Comparative study of characters in "A Dream of Red Mansions". Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2001 Year.
[3] Editor-in-chief Xie Zili. Research on "Dream of Red Mansions". Beijing: Book and Newspaper Information Center of Renmin University of China, 1993.
[4] Liu Mengxi. Selected Papers on Red Studies in Thirty Years. Tianjin: Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, 1984 year.
