Dream of the Red Chamber is a celebrated Chinese classical novel noted for its noble ideas and aesthetic values. This literary masterpiece has generated significant intellectual interest and research, with a new discipline created, namely, "Redology”, devoted solely to its study. In 2016, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy donated his 40 years of worldwide collection of the novel in order to establish a “Dream of the Red Chamber Research Collection” in the library of his alma mater University of Malaya.
This is a rich compilation of the Dream of the Red Chamber with many types of manuscripts, representing more than 10 different languages and 20 various translations. Since the inception of “Redology” many works related to the Red Chamber have been published and produced, including research materials related to Cao Xueqin and academic dissertations from Malaysia and Singapore. The age of this collection spans over 200 years, from as early as the Jia Qing period (Qing Dynasty, 1796-1820) to the present times.
In addition to the out-of-print copies of the Red Chamber, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy will also donate classical Chinese paintings and cultural relics related to "Redology", to be displayed in the center. With the establishment of this research collection at the University of Malaya, Malaysia will become one of the main center for the study of the Dream of the Red Chamber, providing enthusiasts of this classical novel a platform to conduct intellectual exchange and research.
《红楼梦》作为一部著名的中国古典小说，其高度思想与艺术价值历来引起许多讨论及研究，因此构成一门学问——“红学”。2016年，校友丹斯里陈广才将自己40多年从世界各地搜集而来的红楼梦藏书捐赠予母校图书馆，倡设“红楼梦资料中心”。本中心藏书种类丰富，囊括现存不同的《红楼梦》版本；十余种语文二十多版翻译本；自红学开展以来各国出版的红学论著、曹家研究资料、以红楼梦为主题的文艺作品及马新各大专的学位论文。藏书的出版年份从嘉庆年间的刊本至现今的红学论著，跨度已超过200年。除了绝版的红楼梦文献，丹斯里陈广才亦将与红学研究相关书画及文物一并捐献，陈列于中心。红楼梦资料中心的成立，意味着马来西亚即将成为研究《红楼梦》的其中一个据点，为红学爱好者提供研究及交流的平台。
「数位人文：跨域共入红楼梦」展览於2019年9月23日在马来亚大学中文系「红楼梦研究中心」举办。展览期间马大同时举办「2019红楼梦国际学术研讨会（10月4日至10月6日）」，各国红学研究者（马来西亚、台湾、中国、香港、韩国等）齐聚於马大。
