Most people in China think that A Dream of Red Mansions is a masterpiece in China literature, and in a sense, it is the epitome of China's culture for thousands of years. People read it again and again, just as people read Shakespeare again and again. Numerous researchers devoted themselves to the study of this book, so the red research school appeared. Since two complete translations of this book (The Story of the Stone and Dream of the Red Man translated by David Hawkes) were published in A.D. 1970.

Translation is a decision-making process. From the correct selection of the text to the publication of the translation, every decision of the translator is restricted by norms. David Hawkes's choice of A Dream of Red Mansions is influenced by the cultural status of the source language and the cultural norms of the target language. The inconsistency of text types determines his choice of different versions. This paper tries to point out that the translator is the real controller of translation behavior through the study of the preliminary forms other than David Hawkes's translation. By following translation norms, translators can get rid of some restrictions. The decision to follow or break the norms reflects the translator's subjectivity.