Learning:
The Journey of a Lifetime
A Cloud Chamber of the Mind

2006 Literature Notebook

Qin Zhong. [7, 8, 15, 16] younger brother of Qin-shi; Bao-yu's best friend.

Jia Zhen (Cousin Zhen). [3, 10, 11, 16] Son of Jia Jing, acting head of the senior (Ning-guo) branch of the Jia family.

Yuan-chun [3, 16] daughter of Jia Zhen & Lady Wang.

Bao-yu. [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16] The Stone.

Lin Dai-yu. [2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 16] Young daughter of Lin Ru-hai. She received tutoring from Jai Yu-cun but now she is being brought up by the Jias of Rong-guo mansion.

Jia-Lian [7, 12, 16] Son of Jia She and Jia Zheng; husband of Wang Xi-feng

Jia Yu-cun. [1, 2, 3, 4, 16] A poor student who becomes a bureaucrat. He has just been installed as an official in Ying-tian-fu and is given the task of investigating the murder by Xue Pan.

Wang Xi-feng ("Peppercorn" Feng) (Mrs. Lian): [3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16] Wife of Jia Lian, a beautiful young woman (about 18 - 19 years old), who is responsible for much of the management of the Rong-guo mansion.

Various members of the underworld.

Qin Zhong falls ill upon their return to the city.

Jia Zheng is summoned to the Emperor's, where he is told that his eldest daughter, Yuan-chun, has been selected as an Imperial concubine. This is viewed as a great honor.

Bao-yu is meloncholy because of Qin Zhong's illness.

Jia Lian and Dai-yu return from Dai-yu's father's funeral. They are accompanied by Jia Yu-cun who is being promoted to a new position by the Emperor.

Xi-feng and her husband, Jia-Lian, spend the night together as she brings him up to date with what has transpired since he left.

Jia Zheng and other senior members of the family begin plans for a new building within their compound that can accomodate her daughter when she visits them on leave from the Emperor.

Qin Zhong dies from his illness. "The ministers of the underworld, armed with a warrant and chains to bind him with, were at that very moment confronting him; but his soul was refusing to go quietly. ... But the infernal visitants had no ear for his entreaties and silenced him with angry rebuke ...'We ministers of the nether world, from highest down to the lowest, all have unbending iron natures and - unlike the officials of the mortal world, who are always doing kindnesses and showing favours and inventing little tricks and dodges for frustrating the course of justice - we are incapable of showing partiality.' ... [but the leader shows concern when he hears that Qin Zhong has summoned Bao-yu] The trepidation of their leader, who wa perhaps thinking more of Bao-yu's demon-repelling talisman ..." [p. 321 - 322]

Many of the chapters introduce new characters, who are then never heard of again. Keeping these notes helps me to separate out the recurring ones from the one-timers.

This is quite a different type of novel. Key characters keep dying without any warning, and are replaced with others. Life goes on... We don't write like this today, but there is an aspect of reality to this.

There is also another brief glimpse of their beliefs about what happens when one dies.