Passing of a human treasure

South Korea, Japan and several other countries designate special individuals as "Living Human Treasures" for mastering certain traditional arts and embodying central, intangible, national, cultural values - while alive.

China does not have this tradition, but if it did, Zhou Ruchang would have qualified.

Zhou, China's leading scholar of the classic novel, A Dream of Red Mansions, died in May at age 95.