A Japanese adult video, "The Slaves of the Red Mansion," has come under criticism from China's netizens and a university professor, according to a Phoenix TV report last week.

A Dream of the Red Mansion is one of four classical novels in China and it is considered a treasure in Chinese literary history.

The Japanese game not only uses the name as the novel, but also uses the same character's name, Lin Daiyu, the principal female character in the novel.

The video game character, Lin Daiyu, even shares the same trait, a frail physical disposition.

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 and Xu Honghuo, a Southwestern University professor. Xu specializes in the study of the novel A Dream of the Red Mansion.

One game player left a comment on the Internet: "It is one thing if you just use the name Lin Daiyu. But why do you 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!" he added.

Another netizen pointed out that A 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 maker 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.

Xu is also extremely irate about turning the novel into an erotic game.

"'Dream of the Red Mansion' is the acme of classical Chinese literature and a special symbol in traditional Chinese culture," he said.

"It is a form of blasphemy against Chinese culture to turn Dream of the Red Mansion into an erotic game," he stressed, adding the recent spate of spoofs in Japan of the four great Chinese novels "represents an unfriendly attitude towards Chinese culture."

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2006)