沁香
沁香 — 被买进来的女孩之一。年轻时被买进来的小尼姑之一，由家族供养，由为了照顾而给了一个贫穷亲戚的贾琴管理……
沁香
“One of the Bought Girls”
Her Story
One of the young nuns bought as a child, kept at the family’s expense, and put under the management of Jia Qin, a poor relation given the post as a favour. In Chapter 93 an anonymous placard is pasted up at the Rong-guo gate accusing him of running the place as a gambling den and a brothel; the household investigates and Jia Qin loses the job. Qinxiang is a name on a list of girls acquired young, kept, and disposed of. She is given no words.
In Xiang Li's Hands
Black from cap to hem in one sweep of wet ink, rose-red lining showing at the sleeve, a round gold-figured fan held up. The face is a young girl’s — pink mouth, jade earrings — and pale mauve blossom drifts behind her. Nothing on the sheet says nun.
The Calligraphy
沁香 — the two-character religious name alone, brushed loose and low at the right, with no surname, because none is on record for her.
Connections
- Jia Qin 贾芹 — put in charge of the girls; the Chapter 93 scandal is his.
- Hexian 鹤仙 — the young Taoist named alongside her.
- Wang Xifeng 王熙凤 — secured Jia Qin the post that made him their keeper.
Others of the same kind · nun / monk / Taoist Miaoyu 妙玉 · Jingxu 净虚 · Zhishan 智善 · Zhineng 智能 · Zhitong 智通 · Yuanxin 圆信 · Da Liao 大了 · Sekong 色空 · Hexian 鹤仙 · Ma Daopo 马道婆 · Zhang Daoshi 张道士 · Wang Yitie 王一贴
Named on these pages Hexian 鹤仙
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
