The Sex Slaves of the Red Mansion
Here is yet another episode in the history of Sino-Japanese relationships.
(Gameaxis)
Dream of the Red Mansion (红楼梦) is one of four classical novels in China and it is considered a treasure in Chinese literary history. As such, it is the pride of the Chinese people. Recently, a Japanese adult game titled "The Slaves of the Red Mansion" (紅樓館奴隸) appeared. A game character has the name Lin Daiyu (林黛玉) just like the principal female character in the original Dream of the Red Mansion, and she even shares the same traits (such as a frail physical disposition). Here is the biographical details of the Lin Daiyu:
母親は娼婦だったが、ある外国人と恋人同士だった（つもりでいた）。だが子供を妊娠したことが分かると相手は逃げてしまう。
(in translation) Her mother was a prostitute who fell in love with a foreigner. When he found out that Lin Daiyu's mother was pregnant, he abandoned them and fled.
(Apple Daily) Alternate biography: "Her mother committed adultery with a foreigner. When she got pregnant, the foreigner abandoned her. Since she could not get an abortion, she gave birth to a daughter. The mother later died from alcoholism and illness, and the daughter Lin Daiyu was sold to perform menial labor at the Red Mansion."
(Phoenix TV) Although the game is not being sold openly in China, it has reached China through Internet sales and is causing a stir among Chinese game players. One game player left a comment: "It is one thing if you just use the name Lin Daiyu. But why do you have to use Red Mansion for the name of this erotic game? This is an obvious attempt to insult this piece of Chinese literary treasure. As a fan of the novel, I cannot forgive them!" Another netizen pointed out that Dream of the Red Mansion is the pride of the Chinese literary heritage and has a special place in Chinese culture. The spoofing by the Japanese adult game is an obvious affront to Chinese cultural sentiments! Therefore many players are calling for a petition campaign to boycott the game while others want to ask the software company to cease sales and apologize to the Chinese people. Southwestern University professor Xu Honghuo who specializes in the study of Dream of the Red Mansion was extremely irate about turning the novel into an erotic game. He said that Dream of the Red Mansion is the acme of classical Chinese literature and a special symbol in traditional Chinese culture. To turn Dream of the Red Mansion into an erotic game is a form of blasphemy against Chinese culture. The recent spate of spoofs in Japan of the four great Chinese novels represents an unfriendly attitude towards Chinese culture, according to Professor Xu Honghuo.
