In 2010 the director Li Shaohong remade a 50-episode television series of Dream of the Red Chamber with the same title. Though the move gained a lot of interest, including public auditions that turned into a televised contest, it remains eclipsed by the 1987 version.

Ouyang, who was born and grew up in Chengdu, Sichuan province, became an actor of the prestigious Emei Film Studio in the province when he was 14. However, it was not until six years later that he would be given his big chance, one that Wang offered him, to play Jia Baoyu.

"Jia Baoyu was the only role I played in my career and, fortunately, audiences remember me for it," Ouyang says.

He even underwent chin reconstruction to look more like the Jia Baoyu depicted in the novel.

Ouyang says the success was a double-edged sword.

"Even though I have directed many TV series myself since, it is for my role as Jia Baoyu that I am remembered."

Li Yaozong, 65, who filmed the series, and who was present at auditions, says: "Of course, though Cao graphically described the main characters in his novel, nobody could say exactly how they looked. It was just a feeling, and that was very hard to capture.

"The actor for each of the leading roles was chosen by a panel, such as the director and scriptwriter. That's why it took such a long time to finally decide on each one."

As for the training, all the actors learned calligraphy, read traditional Chinese poems and studied the novel of Dream of the Red Chamber under the guidance of experts.

Liu Qing, 23, was introduced to the novel by her aunt when she was 6, but did not quite understand the novel until she read it again in middle school, she says.

"The 1987 TV series brought these characters in the novel vividly to life," says Liu, editor for a publishing company in Beijing.

"I remember that each episode begins with two giant stones, symbolizing Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. I had many questions about the novel, and the performances of the actors inspired me to use my imagination and search for answers."

Li Huiqun, a professor at the Institute of Communication Studies at China Communication University in Beijing, conducts courses there on Dream of Red Chamber that began running in 2008. They cover traditional Chinese culture, including poems and etiquette, that figure in the novel.

In 1984 Da Guan Yuan, or Grand View Garden, was built in Beijing, as the main shooting spot of the 1987 TV series. With more than 40 Qing Dynasty-styled pavilions, bridges, courtyards, and buildings, the garden, covering 12.5 hectares, opened to visitors after the series was filmed.

It is also the location of Beijing Red Mansion Culture and Art Museum, which exhibits photos and costumes of the 1987 TV series.