Xiluan

Her Story

A girl from one of the clan’s poor branches, brought in with the other relations for Grandmother Jia’s eightieth birthday in Chapter 71. The old lady picks her and Sijie’r out of the crowd, takes to them, keeps them in the house for the festivities and gives orders that nobody is to slight them. In this household that instruction is real protection: a poor cousin without it is at the mercy of the servants. The novel keeps her only that long.

In Xiang Li's Hands

Nothing here says poor relation. A flowered headdress, a blue-grey outer robe falling in long wet strokes, red blossoms scattered over the gown beneath, a yellow sash, one hand lifted near the cheek. Behind her the paper is bare. She is given the dress and no house to stand in.

The Calligraphy

喜鸾, upper right — the personal name alone, no surname, the way a household speaks of a girl it has decided to be fond of.

Connections

• Grandmother Jia 贾母 — singled her out at the birthday feast and ordered her well treated.
• Sijie’r 四姐儿 — the other clan girl favoured at the same time; the two are always named together.

Others of the same kind · Jia clan – collateral branches Jia Rui 贾瑞 · Jia Dairu 贾代儒 · Jia Qiong 贾琼 · Jia Chang 贾菖 · Jia Ling 贾菱 · Jia Ping 贾萍 · Jia Jun 贾菌 · Jia Yun 贾芸 · Jia Qin 贾芹 · Jia Xing 贾荇 · Sijie'r 四姐儿

Named on these pages Sijie'r 四姐儿

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