At the age of 70, a retired teacher transcribed the 800,000-word Dream of the Red Chamber -- a task that took him three years, the Yangcheng Evening News reported Tuesday.

Liang Dayu, a former middle school teacher, began transcribing the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) novel by brush in 1998.

In the first year, Liang spent six hours a day transcribing the novel. To make it easier to understand, on each page he added comments and explanations taken from a book written by famous critics.

He transcribed the novel in 65 ancient-style notebooks. One hundred and twenty copies of his 4,888-page transcription were printed and given to friends and former students as gifts.

Liang believed transcribing was a way of keeping healthy. He also hoped to arouse his students' interest in literature.

The Yangcheng Evening News said he wrote every word with care and enthusiasm, and praised his handwriting skills. Before transcribing the novel, Liang attended handwriting training courses to improve his brush techniques.

More than 30 people, all Liang's former students, had donated more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,045) toward the cost of printing the work.

(Shenzhen Daily October 14, 2004)