胡適
In 1921, Hu Shih published one of the most influential Redology essays in the modern era, "Proofs on A Dream of the Red Chamber" (红楼梦考证). In it Hu Shih proposed the hypothesis that the last forty chapters were not written by Cao Xueqin but were completed by Gao E. Hu Shih based his hypothesis on four pieces of evidence – though three of them were circumstantial and Hu Shih was himself uncertain of his second proof. He went on to accuse Cheng and Gao of being dishonest in their 1791 prefaces, stating direct evidence from a contemporary, Zhang Wentao (张问陶), that Gao was the author of the continuation. The conclusion, in Hu Shih's own words, was irrefutable (自无可疑). His stand was supported by Zhou Ruchang and Liu Xinwu. Another Redologist, Yu Pingbo, originally supported this proposition, but later retracted it.