Cao Xueqin

Cao Xueqin was a Chinese novelist and poet during the Qing dynasty. He is best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. His given name was Cao Zhan and his courtesy name was Mengruan. He was born in 1710 and died in 1765. The dates of his birth and death are debated, and he was born into a Han Chinese clan that served the Manchu royalty as bondservants; his ancestors distinguished themselves through military service and later held official posts.