Jinling is actually a virtual place name in a dream of red mansions, not necessarily Nanjing in real life. When Cao Xueqin wrote A Dream of Red Mansions, in order to avoid the persecution of feudal forces, he deliberately blurred the time and place, making people think that it didn't happen in the Qing Dynasty. Jinling aristocratic family in A Dream of Red Mansions refers to Jia family and four aristocratic families, which is proved by "household administration": Jia is not fake, and he is a golden horse in the hall; The East China Sea is short of white jade beds, and the Dragon King invited King Jinling. Epang Palace is 300 miles long, and a history can't live in Jinling. It snows heavily in a good year, and pearls are as silver as iron!

However, judging from the whole historical background and practical significance of A Dream of Red Mansions, Jinling aristocratic family actually symbolizes all feudal bureaucrats.

The story described in A Dream of Red Mansions took place in the Qing Dynasty, and the prototype of the four families in social reality is Jiangnan Weaving. ..