Zhenzhu

Her Story

珍珠 is a name that was worn twice. It belonged first to the girl Grandmother Jia later handed on to Baoyu: he learned that her family name was 花, remembered the old line 花气袭人 — the scent of flowers assails one — and had her renamed 袭人 (Chapter 3). The household kept the vacated name in circulation, and a maid called 珍珠 goes on being listed among the old lady’s people. Nothing happens to the second Pearl.

In Xiang Li's Hands

Seen from behind and turning, she carries a gold covered jar painted with peaches up above her shoulder and looks at it, so the brightest thing on the sheet is the object she is fetching, not her face. Mint-green robe, black train dragging left across empty paper.

The Calligraphy

珍珠, low on the right, the given name alone — a name that in this house is not quite hers, having been reassigned once the first Pearl became 袭人.

Connections

• Xiren 袭人 — carried this name before Baoyu renamed her.
• Jia Mu 贾母 — the matriarch, who owned both the name and the girls who wore it.
• Jia Xichun 贾惜春 — the roster records a maid of this name passing later into her service.

Others of the same kind · maid – Grandmother Jia's apartments Yuanyang 鸳鸯 · Hupo 琥珀 · Feicui 翡翠 · Boli 玻璃 · Yingwu 鹦鹉 · Yingge 鹦哥 · Cailuan 彩鸾 · Xiuluan 绣鸾 · Xiufeng 绣凤 · Wenguan 文官

Named on these pages Boli 玻璃

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