Pride of place

An ancient Chinese masterpiece tops a British newspaper's list of best Asian novels, but experts on both sides of the globe lament the low visibility of contemporary Chinese works, Mei Jia reports.

A Dream of Red Mansions, a Chinese classic written by Cao Xueqin more than 200 years ago, tops the list of the Ten Best Asian Novels of All Time, compiled by British daily The Telegraph newspaper.

To many readers, it's an unsurprising and natural choice, given the novel's traditional influence and stature. But while the list aims to promote appreciation of a wider range of books, some experts argue the list still lacks much knowledge of Chinese writing as a whole. No modern Chinese novels are included.