China's bard?

Cao Xueqin may have the status of Shakespeare in China, but translating that stature abroad is another matter, Raymond Zhou reports.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is the greatest author in the English-speaking world and Cao Xueqin (1715-63) the greatest novelist in Chinese history. But can Cao gain worldwide recognition as his British predecessor did, and more importantly, can he yield a string of profitable businesses like the playwright from Stratford-upon-Avon?

Those were some of the questions either discussed or implied at a Beijing forum held in the western suburb where Cao spent the later years of his life.