Baoguan
宝官
“Young Male Leads”
Her Story
One of the twelve girls of the Pear Tree Court company; her line was 小生, the young male leads. She appears once with any clarity. In Chapter 30 she and Yuguan are caught by a downpour at Green Delights and shelter in the courtyard, laughing and playing at the water, and the noise is why nobody hears Baoyu knocking at his own gate. The novel does not follow her past the troupe.
In Xiang Li's Hands
Standing, leaning into a step, hair in two round buns, face turned back over her shoulder with a half-smile. Turquoise robe worked with gold spirals, mauve sleeves, a gold belt, a hem that trails off the bottom of the sheet. Nothing behind her. The player of young men is painted entirely as a girl.
The Calligraphy
The two characters 宝官 — the troupe name, with the 宝 that she shares with Baoyu and Baochai carrying no weight here at all.
Connections
- Yuguan 玉官 — her constant companion, caught in the same rain.
- Jia Baoyu 贾宝玉 — shut out of his own courtyard while she shelters inside it.
- Jia Qiang 贾蔷 — bought the twelve girls in Suzhou and managed the company.
Others of the same kind · actress – Pear Tree Court troupe (梨香院十二官) Fangguan 芳官 · Ruiguan 蕊官 · Ouguan 藕官 · Kuiguan 葵官 · Douguan 豆官 · Aiguan 艾官 · Qieguan 茄官 · Lingguan 龄官 · Yuguan 玉官 · Diguan 菂官
Named on these pages Yuguan 玉官
Dream of the Red Chamber
Xiang Li painted all 413 characters of the novel between 1975 and 1985, the first person to complete the entire cast. See the whole collection · Chinese Empresses
