Kao Chueh-hui (pinyin: Gāo Juéhuì 高觉慧)
Chueh-hui is Chueh-hsin and Chueh-min's youngest brother, and the novel's protogonist; he is seventeen at the beginning of the narrative. Chueh-hui is also called "Third Young Master." The character "慧" in his name means "intelligence" or "wisdom," referencing the enlightened social ideas around which Chueh-hui bases his values and decisions. Chueh-hui's family jokingly calls him "The Humanitarian," as he refuses to partake of his class privileges, such as riding in a sedan chair.
Chueh-hui is a rebel who is dissatisfied with the Confucian family structure and traditional social norms. Chueh-hui is involved in student movements, joining protests and writing prolifically for Dawn magazine. Chueh-hui is, by his own admission, full of contradictions; though he believes in radical change and is empathetic to the poor and oppressed, he can be cruel and narrowminded, criticizing his family members for their hypocrisy without trying to see things from their perspective. Chueh-hui considers his friendships with like-minded individuals more valuable than his familial relationships.
Chueh-hui is also in love with the bondmaid Ming-feng, though she is unlike the revolutionary, educated girls he knows and respects. Chueh-hui considers Ming-feng "pure" and initially promises to marry her and free her from bondage. When Ming-feng actually needs Chueh-hui's help to escape concubinage, Chueh-hui fails to save her and recognizes that his "bourgeoise pride" could not handle marrying a bondmaid. When Ming-feng commits suicide, Chueh-hui is deeply affected and considers himself and his family her murderers.
Chueh-hui helps found the Li Chun Newspaper Reading Room, and later escapes to Shanghai to study.
Kao Chueh-min (pinyin: Gāo Juémín 高觉民)
Chueh-min is the middle child of the family. He is also called "Second Young Master." The character "民" (Wade-Giles: min; pinyin: mín) in his name means "the people," referencing the egalitarian social principles Chueh-min studies.
Chueh-min is eighteen years old at the beginning of the narrative; he has a round face and wears gold spectacles. He is a great student, praised for his excellent grasp of English. Though Chueh-min is very interested in revolutionary ideas, he is less aggressive and rebellious than Chueh-hui. Chueh-min is known for his wisdom and empathy; for example, the reserved Chien-yun opens up to Chueh-min about his struggles. Chueh-min also contributes a few articles to Dawn magazine but is primarily interested in his own studies and affairs.
Chueh-min tutors Chin in English; as their relationship develops, Chueh-min falls in love with Chin. When The Venerable Master Kao arranges for Chueh-min to marry Feng's grandniece, Chueh-min runs away from home. Sustained by his love for Chin, Chueh-min resists his isolation and his grandfather's threat to disown him. Chueh-min plans to marry Chin and join Cheuh-hui in Shanghai once Chin finishes her studies.
Kao Chueh-hsin (pinyin: Gāo Juéxīn 高觉新)
Kao Chueh-hsin is Chueh-min and CHueh-hui's elder brother. He is also referred to as "First Young Master" or "Big Brother." The character "新" (Wade-Giles: hsin; pinyin: xīn) in his name means "new," referencing the progressive ideas with which the Kao family grapples.
Chueh-hsin is married to Jui-chueh and he is Hai-chen's father. He holds the second-highest position in the Kao family after the Venerable Master Kao, as he is "the eldest son of an eldest son."
Chueh-hsin is handsome, intelligent, and the favorite of his father. He dreamt of studying chemistry or physics in Shanghai, Beijing, or abroad and marrying his cousin Mei, but his father arranged his marriage to Jui-chueh and his career at the West Szechuan Mercantile Corporation. Though Chueh-hsin reads many of the same revolutionary publications as his brothers, he adopts a "compliant bow" philosophy for his own life. He accepts his elders' commands without complaint or argument, even if these demands run contrary to his desires or even endanger the livelihood of his loved ones, and he encourages his brothers to adopt a "principle of non-resistance." But in the end, he is emotionally devastated by his lost dreams, particularly his ended love affair with Mei, and he spends much time weeping and drinking when he cannot cope with his emotions.
Chueh-hui considers Chueh-hsin a "weakling" and criticizes his elder brothers' lack of courage. After Jui-chueh's death, Chueh-hsin goes against his family's wishes and aids Chueh-hui in escaping to Shanghai.
Chin (pinyin: Qín 琴)
Chin is Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, and Chueh-hui's cousin. Her mother is Mrs. Chang. She is a few months younger than Chueh-min and in her third year at the Normal School for Girls.
Chin is beautiful, vivacious, clever, and compassionate. She often comforts vulnerable people, such as Mei and Shu-chen.
Chin dreams about getting an advanced education. When Chin learns that the Foreign Language school may accept female students, she decides to apply. She asks Chueh-min to tutor her in English, and as the two spend time together, they fall in love. Chin is also the object of Chien-yun and Chueh-hui's affections.
Chin is interested in New Culture ideas and reads revolutionary texts voraciously, though she is not as bold as her friend, Hsu Chien-ju. Chin consistently questions herself, her courage, and her commitment to her ideals. For example, when Chin wants to cut her hair short, she hesitates because she fears her mother will be embarrassed. Chin does write an opinion piece on the merits of short hair for girls. Her article is published in Dawn.
When Chueh-min's family tries to force him to marry Feng's grandniece, Mrs. Chang forbids Chin from seeing Chueh-min. Eventually, Chin gains her mother's support and plans to marry Chueh-min and finish her studies before moving to Shanghai to pursue advanced education.
The Venerable Master Kao
The Venerable Master Kao is the Kao family patriarch. He is Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, and Chueh-hui's grandfather; they often refer to him as Yeh-yeh throughout the text. The Venerable Master Kao's wife is dead, and he has taken Mistress Chen as a concubine. It is very important to the Venerable Master Kao that his family appear aligned with Confucian values and behave with filial piety; he condemns Chueh-hui's modern ideas and Ke-ting's salacious behavior.
The Venerable Master Kao is stern, severe, and dictatorial; he requires the entire family to obey his commands without question. He does not consider the emotional consequences of his actions; only when he is near death does he concede "that he must have made mistakes. But he didn't know what they were."
The Venerable Master Kao turns sixty-six years old during the story. He is frail and grey-haired, with white stubble; but Chueh-hui believes Venerable Master Kao "must have been a dashing sort" when he was young. The Venerable Master Kao is also in poor health, troubled by a chronic cough that worsens when he is agitated.
The Venerable Master Kao is an accomplished scholar who created his family's wealth from nothing. He is a published poet who dedicated many of his poems to sing-song girls. Though The Venerable Master Kao is an active member of the Confucian Morals Society, his behavior is hypocritical. For example, he enjoys lewd operas and patronizes many female-impersonating opera singers. He is friends with Feng, to whom he gives Ming-feng, and later Wan-erh, as a concubine.
The Venerable Master Kao attempts to force Chueh-min to marry Feng's grandniece, and threatens to disown Chueh-min if he does not comply. Only on his deathbed does the Venerable Master Kao show affection for his grandsons or admit fault for his tyrannical behavior.
Mei (pinyin: Méi 梅)
Mei is Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min and Chueh-hui's cousin. Her name means "plum blossom." She is a beautiful and understanding young woman.
Mei and Chueh-hsin fell in love during childhood but were unable to wed after a dispute between Mei's mother and Madam Chou. Chueh-hsin married Jui-chueh, and Mei married an abusive man who died a year into their marriage. When Mei sees Chueh-hsin again, she understands that their love is still alive, though they can never be together. Still, Mei is unable and unwilling to forget the past and move on.
After her husband's death, Mei returns to Chengdu to live with her mother and brother. Mei is depressed and believes her memories of the past are all she has left. Mei explains her feelings of hopelessness and remorse in poetic language. Mei also suffers from a chronic respiratory illness, which rapidly worsens, as Mei refuses to take medicine or tell her mother the severity of her condition. Jui-chueh takes a special liking to Mei and treats her like a younger sister.
Mei dies and is laid to rest in a dilapidated temple. Chueh-hsin and Mei's mother, Mrs. Chien, believe themselves to be responsible for Mei's death, as both stood in the way of Mei's happiness.
Li Jui-chueh (pinyin: Lǐ Ruìjué 李瑞珏)
Jui-chueh is Chueh-hsin's wife and Hai-chen's mother. She is enormously kind and sensitive, reaching out to Mei and Chueh-hui during their times of distress and understanding and supporting Chueh-hsin.
Jui-chueh is the daughter of an official. A talented visual artist, Jui-chueh worked as a painter in a fan shop after the 1911 Revolution. Jui-chueh was extremely close with her younger sister, who unfortunately died of a miscarriage after enduring an abusive marriage. Jui-chueh is fond of Mei and treats her like the sister Jui-chueh lost.
Being forced to marry Chueh-hsin without any chance to meet him before the wedding, she is a devoted, understanding, and loving wife. Jui-chueh dies during the birth of her second son, after the Kao family, afraid of a curse, moved Jui-chueh to the countryside.
Ming-feng (pinyin: Míngfèng 鸣凤)
Ming-feng is a bondmaid who works for the Kao family. She is sixteen years old, beautiful, and hardworking. Chueh-hui describes Ming-feng as "pure." Ming-feng's life is difficult; her father, grieving the loss of his wife, sold Ming-feng to the Kao family when she was a young girl. Ming-feng works hard with little rest and endures verbal abuse from the Kao family. Ming-feng stays awake late into the night to savor the few hours of freedom she gets each day. Ming-feng believes in fate and finds a semblance of comfort in the idea that her destiny is already decided.
Ming-feng and Chueh-hui are in love, but they both understand that their class difference prevents them from being together.
Ming-feng's love for Chueh-hui sustains her as she endures abuse as a bondmaid. Ming-feng fears the day she will be married off and dreams of serving Chueh-hui forever.
Madam Chou tells Ming-feng she will become a concubine to Feng, an old friend of the Venerable Master Kao. Ming-feng tries to plead with Chueh-hui for help, but Chueh-hui is too involved in his work on Dawn to aid her. Ming-feng, who has sworn she will never be with a man other than Chueh-hui, drowns herself in a lake on the family compound.
Mrs. Chang
Mrs. Chang is Chin's mother, a widow who has raised Chin on her own. Mrs. Chang is nearing forty, and shows signs of age; for example, she is easily fatigued by a few rounds of mahjong and is often forgetful.
Mrs. Chang refuses to bind Chin's feet and allows Chin to attend school outside of the home, against the Venerable Master Kao's wishes. These choices make Mrs. Chang the target of gossip. Mrs. Chang, though she is not radical herself, loves her daughter and wants to give her a good life. However, Mrs. Chang does not support Chin's more radical ideas, such as cutting her hair short and attending a co-educational school. Mrs. Chang wants peace in her final years and wishes Chin would be satisfied with the concessions to Chin's happiness Mrs. Chang has already made.
Mrs. Chang rejects an offer of marriage made for Chin, knowing Chin would be unhappy with the match but reconsiders when Chin seems to be growing more revolutionary. Mrs. Chang initially does not support Chin's relationship with Chueh-min, as their romance brings Mrs. Chang under scrutiny. However, after Mei's death, Mrs. Chang supports Chin in marrying for love.
Hsu Chien-ju
Hsu Chien-ju is Chin's classmate and friend. She is eighteen years old and possess a free, easy manner. She is an outspoken, modern girl with radical ideas and a revolutionary spirit.
Chien-ju's mother passed away when Chien-ju was little, and the girl was raised by her father, an active member of the Tung-Meng Hui Society. Chien-ju tends to get her way; she was the first girl in her class to summon enough courage to cut her hair short. Chien-ju bluntly encourages Chin to reflect on her relationship with Mrs. Chang and the gentry.
Madam Chou
Madam Chou is Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, and Chueh-hui's stepmother. Mrs. Chou is the brothers' late mother's cousin. Mrs. Chou does not have a close relationship with her stepsons, but she has maternal moments with Chueh-hui, comforting him during the battle in Chengdu, as well as with Ming-feng, with whom she sympathizes when Ming-feng is sold as a concubine.
As she is not a biological relative of the Kao family, Mrs. Chou does not believe she is in a position to question or defy the Venerable Master Kao. Though Madam Chou has some sympathy for the younger generation, she is unwilling to intervene when Ming-feng is sold as a concubine or when the Venerable Master Kao tries to force Chueh-min to marry.
Chueh-hui goes out of his way to say goodbye to Madam Chou before he departs for Shanghai.
Chen Chien-yun
Chen Chien-yun is a distant relative of the Kao family who tutors Wang children. He is only few months younger than Chueh-hsin, but insists on calling him "Big Brother." Chien-yun is sickly and an orphan, and was raised by his paternal uncle. His morose, self-deprecating attitude distances him from the Kao brothers, who consider him annoying and intrusive. However, Chien-yun idolizes the brothers and is grateful that they have put up with his company.
Chien-yun is enamored with Chin, whom he frequently sees, given that they live on the same compound. However, Chien-yun considers himself Chin's inferior in every way and can barely find the courage to speak with her. Chien-yun tells Chueh-min his entire story and makes Chueh-min promise to visit his grave; though Chien-yun is young, he believes he will die early.
Mama Huang
Mama Huang is a maid of Chueh-min and Chueh-hui. She loves the boys as though she were their mother.
Mama is almost fifty years old and has worked for the Kao family for over a decade. She believes that the family is not as good as in the "old days," but cannot bear to leave Chueh-min and Chueh hui. She has hopes for the brothers' future and is confident they will be successful.
Mama Huang shared a room with Ming-feng, and is greatly troubled by the girl's death.
Mistress Chen
Mistress Chen became the Venerable Master Kao's concubine after the death of his first wife. She is heavily made up, simpering, and coarse-mannered. The Venerable Master Kao's interest in her is seemingly at odds with his refinement. After the Venerable Master Kao's death, Mistress Chen inherits the compound.
Ke-ting, Ke-ming, and Ke-an
Ke-ting, Ke-ming, and Ke-an are Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, and Chueh-hui's paternal uncles. The uncles demand filial piety from their nephews and children despite their own salacious behavior. The uncles attempt to deny Chueh-hsin his inheritance after the Venerable Master Kao's death.
Ke-ting is the fifth uncle. He organizes the dragon dance and uses "fire tubes" to injure the performers for the amusement of the gentry. Ke-ting scandalizes the family when it is revealed he sees a sex worker named Monday, pays for her apartment, smokes opium, and has accrued extensive gambling debt. Ke-ting paid for all of this by stealing and selling his wife's jewelry.
Ke-an is the Fourth Uncle. He has affairs with maids and female-impersonating opera singers. Ke-an helped get Ke-ting into debt.
Mrs. Chien
Mrs. Chien is Mei's mother. She and Madam Chou have a dispute over a game of mahjong that prevents Chueh-hsin and Mei from marrying. Mrs. Chien plays mahjong all day and spends little time with Mei, so she does not realize the severity of Mei's health condition. When Mei dies, Mrs. Chien blames herself, and invites Mei to torment her in the afterlife, so long as they can be together as mother and daughter.
Wan-erh
Wan-erh is a bondmaid of the Kao family. Wan-erh unwillingly takes Ming-feng's place as Feng's concubine. Wan-erh asks Chien-erh to burn spirit money for her, as she considers her fate as a concubine worse than death.
Feng
Feng is the Venerable Master Kao’s friend who receives Wan-erh as a concubine. Feng is a member of the Confucian Moral Society alongside the Venerable Master Kao, but he also partakes in lewd and vulgar activities, such as ranking female impersonators. Feng is described as elderly and physically repulsive, with grey hair, mottled skin, and a “sausage-like nose.”
Shu-hua, Shu-chen, and Shu-ying
Shu-hua, Shu-chen, and Shu-ying are female cousins of the Kao family. Shu-hua is Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, and Chueh-hui's younger sister. Though she is only fourteen years old, Shu-hua scolds servants and behaves like a woman. Shu-hua is one of the few people present for Jui-chueh's death.
Shu-chen is one of the only girls to have her feet bound. When Shu-ying expresses that she does not want to marry, Shu-chen realizes that she is a victim of the Confucian family structure; she endured pain, ridicule, and a permanent disability by having her feet bound, and that struggle will be wasted if she does not marry.
Shu-ying is the youngest. She plays the bamboo flute.
Hai-chen
Hai-chen is Chueh-hsin and Jui-chueh's three-eyar-old son. He is obedient, intelligent, and beloved by the entire family. Mei is fond of Hai-chen because he looks a great deal like Chueh-hsin. Hai-chen is Chueh-hsin's purpose in life, and Chueh-hsin only goes against the status quo for Hai-chen's sake.
Chi-Hsia, Tsui-huan, and Chien-erh
Chi-Hsia and Tsui-huan replace Ming-feng and Wan-erh as bondmaids. Chi-Hsia is a waitress from the country. Tsui-huan became bondmaid for Shu-ying after the death of Tsui-huan's father, her only relative.
Chien-erh, bondmaid of the fourth household, burns spirit money for Mingfeng and Wan-erh.
Hui-ju and Huang Tsun-jen
Hui-ju and Huang Tsun-jen are co-editors of Dawn and friends of Chueh-min and Chueh-hui. Hui-ju invites Chueh-hui to the first student protest, and Tsun-jen hides Chueh-min when Chueh-min runs away from the Kao family compound.
The Eldest Young Miss
The Eldest Young Miss was Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min and Chueh-hui's sister. She is dead at the beginning of the narrative; Chueh-hsin blames himself for her death. The Eldest Young Miss is remembered for her kindness. For instance, it was the Eldest Young Miss who taught Ming-feng to read. The Eldest Young Miss also explained to Ming-feng the nature of fate and that suicide was sometimes a young woman's only option to escape bad conditions.
Kao Sheng
Kao Sheng worked as a servant for the Kao family for over a decade until he became addicted to opium and stole portraits from the Venerable Master Kao. Kao Sheng served a term in prison and became a beggar.
At the New Years' celebration, Kao Sheng returns to the Kao family compound to beg for the customary present of cash given by masters to servants, though he does not work for the Kao family. Kao Sheng is fond of Cheuh-hui, who used to listen to Kao Sheng's stories as Kao Sheng smoked opium.
