What were the surnames of the four great clans in 'Dream of the Red Chamber'?
The four great clans in 'Dream of the Red Chamber' were the Jia, Wang, Xue, and Shi. The Jia family was the first of the four great families. The ancestor of the Jia family was Jia Yi in the Western Han Dynasty. His ancestor, Jia Gong, was once conferred the title of vassal and later demoted to a commoner, becoming the ancestor of the Jia family. The Jia family reached its peak during the Qing Dynasty and became one of the famous works in the history of Chinese literature. The Wang Clan was one of the Four Great Clans. The ancestor of the Wang family was Wang Zichan of the Spring and Autumn Period. He was one of Confucius 'disciples and later became the prime minister of the State of Lu. In 'Dream of the Red Chamber', Jia Baoyu's grandmother was Grandmother Wang, his father was Grandmother Jia, and his mother was Madam Wang. The Xue family was one of the four great families. The ancestor of the Xue family was Xue Ke of the Tang Dynasty. He was a famous mathematician and an astrologer who had once served as the prime minister of the emperor. In Dream of the Red Chamber, Xue Baochai was the daughter of the Xue family. She was smart, beautiful, and good at poetry. The Shi Family was one of the four great families. The ancestor of the Shi family was Shi Huan of the Spring and Autumn Period. He was one of Confucius 'disciples and had once served as the prime minister of the State of Lu. In "Dream of the Red Chamber", Shi Xiangyun was the daughter of a historian. She was lively and cheerful, and liked poetry, books, and music.