文官

Her Story

She heads the troupe of twelve girl actresses bought in the south and installed in the garden for the Imperial Concubine’s visit in Chapter 18. All twelve carry stage names ending in 官. When the troupe is broken up in Chapter 58 the girls are parcelled out one to a household — 芳官 to Baoyu, 蕊官 to Baochai, 藕官 to Daiyu — and 文官, the leader, goes to Grandmother Jia herself. In the Chapter 77 purge of the garden the former actresses are turned out of the house.

In Xiang Li's Hands

Two sheets, both from behind, both turning back. In the first she kneels holding two enormous peacock plumes upright — the 翎子 of a stage headdress, the only tool of a trade here. In the second the plumes are gone and the ground fills edge to edge with gold peony scrollwork.

The Calligraphy

文官, brushed at the left on both sheets rather than the right, is a stage name and only a stage name — the 官 ending she shares with all twelve of the troupe, with no personal name attached, because a bought actress was not given one to use.

Connections

• Jia Mu 贾母 — the matriarch, into whose service she passed when the troupe was dissolved.
• Fangguan 芳官 — fellow actress of the twelve, sent to Baoyu at the same distribution.
• Lingguan 龄官 — fellow actress of the twelve.
• Wang Furen 王夫人 — mistress of the house, whose Chapter 77 purge cleared the ex-actresses out.

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

Named on these pages Qieguan 茄官

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