Redology

Redology  is the academic study of Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China. There are numerous researchers in this field; most can be divided into four general groups: the first group are the commentators, such as Zhou Chun, Xu Fengyi, Chen Yupi, and others; the second group is the index group, which includes Wang Mengruan and Cai Yuanpei; the third group are the textual critics, including Hu Shih and Yu Pingbo; the final group are the literary critics, including Zhou Ruchang and Li Xifan.

History
A 1976 essay by Joey Bonner split the Chinese critical reception of the novel into five phases:
 * Pre-1791: Commentators on the pre-publication manuscripts, such as Rouge Inkstone and Odd Tablet, who mainly provide literary analysis of the first 80 chapters.
 * 1791–1900: Post-publication questions over authorship of the addendum, speculation upon esoteric aspects of the book. After 1875 using the term "Redology" for the studies.
 * 1900–1922: Political interpretations.
 * 1922–1953: "New Redology" led by Hu Shih, approach questions of textual authenticity, documentation, dating, and a strong autobiographical focus. The labelling of previous periods as "Old Redology".
 * 1954–current [1975]: Marxist literary criticism, the book seen as a criticism of society's failures. Li Xifan's criticism of both Old Redology and Neo-Redologists such as Hu Shih and Yu Pingbo.

Academic research institutes
There are many Redology academic institutions, especially university affiliated ones:
 * The Society of the Dream of the Red Chamber (中国红楼梦学会) in Beijing
 * The Cao Xueqin Society of Beijing (北京曹雪芹学会) in Beijing
 * The Cao Xueqin Center for Aesthetics and Art (北京大学曹雪芹美学艺术研究中心) at Peking University, Beijing
 * The Weiming Society for Hongloumeng Studies at Peking University, Beijing
 * International Research Center of the Dream of the Red Chamber (RDRC), National Dong Hwa University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taiwan
 * Dream of the Red Chamber Research Centre, University of Malaya, Malaysia