The Jiang Hesen Redology Museum at Qutang Senior High School in Hai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

The Jiang Hesen Redology Museum opened on Jan 20 at Qutang Senior High School in Hai'an, Jiangsu province, adding a new cultural landmark to the campus and honoring a distinguished local scholar of the 18th-century Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber.

As one of China's four great novels, it has been read and studied for centuries. Beyond its obvious literary achievements, the book holds great academic value in fields ranging from folklore and sociology to history, traditional Chinese medicine and architecture, earning it the reputation of an "encyclopedia of feudal Chinese society".

Known as a hometown of Chinese literature, Hai'an has produced many influential redology scholars, among whom Jiang Hesen stands out. Redology refers to the specialized academic study of this specific text, such is its importance.

In 1954, Jiang published an academic paper on Dream of the Red Chamber that made waves in scholarly circles. Driven by a lifelong passion for the novel, he went on to publish a series of influential studies about it. In 1959, his collected works were released to wide acclaim, shaping a new generation of readers and firmly establishing his standing in redology research.

The museum houses a rich collection of books, manuscripts, calligraphy and paintings, all donated by Jiang's sons, Jiang Yan and Jiang Di.