by Eileen Chang
JUDY 楚娣: Ned’s younger sister.
Julie’s paternal third aunt. Sometimes was addressed as Third Mistress by servants. Traveled with Rachel to Europe. Had a secret relationship with Brother Hsü.
JULIAN SHENG 盛九林: Julie’s younger brother. Rachel and Ned’s son.
JULIE SHENG 盛九籷: Julian’s elder sister. Rachel and Ned’s daughter.
K
K’ANG, MISS 小康小姐: A nurse and Shao Chih-yung’s young lover.
K’UANG, MISS 匡小姐:Daughter of a rich Cantonese businessman. She was murdered by her husband, Liao Chung-i, during their honeymoon trip to the Lake District.
KWONG 滆: An overseas Chinese student who occasionally asked Bebe out. Later married Sally.
L
LEE, AUNTIE 李媽: Maid in Ned’s family. Fired by Ned’s second wife, Jade Flower.
LEE, DR. 李湕生: Malayan overseas Chinese in charge of student-relief work during the Japanese occupation.
LEE, MR. 李先生: Student from a rich family in Malaya, who dated Audrey.
LI, AUNTIE 李媽: Maid in Yün-chih’s household.
LIAO CHUNG-I 廖仲義: A law-school graduate who murdered his wife, Miss K’uang, during their honeymoon trip to the Lake District.
LIN, DR. 林湕生: Rose’s elder brother, a medical student. Accompanied Rose and Julie to safety during an air raid.
LING 凌嫂子: Respected maid in the Pien family. Bought infant Yün-chih from a famine refugee.
LIU, AUNTIE 劉嫂子: Maid in Yün-chih’s household.
LLOYD 勞以德: British businessman and Rachel’s longtime admirer. Died during Japanese invasion of Singapore.
LU, MISS 榈先生: Female teacher at the Liu Academy for Girls, which Julie attended in Shanghai.
LUKE, SISTER 爑克嬤嬤: A nun in Julie’s university dormitory in Hong Kong.
M
MARIE 瑪慩: Cantonese girl from an orphanage. Worked as a maid in Julie’s university dormitory in Hong Kong.
MARK, SISTER 晔克嬤嬤: Acting dormitory proctor in Julie’s university in Hong Kong.
MARSHA 瑪棢: Abortionist’s assistant in the United States.
MARSHAL 晔壽: English teacher at Julie’s university and one of Rachel’s admirers.
MENG HSIAO-YÜN 孟曉筠: Involved in Uncle’s Chu’s corruption case.
MIKE 慛克: The dean of the Arts Department in Julie’s university in Hong Kong.
N
NANCY YANG 南皁: Rachel and Judy’s friend. Dr. Charlie Yang’s wife.
NED 乃德: The sixteenth child of the Sheng clan. Rachel’s ex-husband. Judy’s elder brother. Julie and Julian’s birth father, though Julie was instructed to address him as Second Uncle. Sometimes called Second Master by the servants.
NIU, MR. 淫先生: One of Bebe’s suitors in Shanghai.
O
OLD MATRIARCH 翿太太: Ned and Judy’s mother.
OPPORTUNE JADE HSIN 灥巧玉: Concubine of Mr. Yü’s late father. Some people called her Master Hsin. Shao Chih-yung’s lover.
P
PHILIPPE 簎力: A law student, one of Rachel’s male friends.
PI CHIEN-WEI 畢簡煒: Retired ambassador who was romantically involved with Rachel but later married Miss Hsiang. Also called Ambassador Pi 畢大使 and Mr.
Pi 畢先生.
PURITY, MISS and MISS GRACE 純姐姐秶姐姐: Sisters in the Chu family. Old Matriarch’s grandnieces. Miss Grace was born to a concubine. Julie was close to Miss Purity, who later died of TB.
R
RACHEL 窶秋: Julie and Julian’s birth mother from the Pien clan. Yün-chih’s elder sister. She was married to Ned in the Sheng family and sometimes addressed as Mrs. Sheng. Julie had been instructed to call her Second Aunt since childhood.
RESPLENDENT AUTUMN SNOW 椖玬秋: A female opera singer. Married Yen Shan.
RICK 椉克: Pathology teacher at Julie’s university in Hong Kong. One of Rachel’s suitors.
ROSE 柔絲: Julie’s university schoolmate in Hong Kong. Dr. Lin’s younger sister. Called the Belle of Penang.
ROUNDY 小圓: Julie and Julian’s younger cousin. Julian’s first love.
RUBY 糇璧: Julie’s university schoolmate in Hong Kong.
Reputed to be Wang Ching-wei’s niece.
RUDY 汝狄: An American writer. Julie’s second husband.
S
SALLY 猃梨: Julie’s university schoolmate in Hong Kong.
SCHÜTTE, HERR 夏犕特: Principal of the German school in Shanghai. One of Judy’s paramours.
SECOND BROTHER 二哥哥: A distant male cousin of Julie and Julian’s from Tientsin. His father is one of Julie and Julian’s paternal uncles from the well-off branch of the Sheng clan.
SECOND CONCUBINE 二姨太: Rachel’s birth mother whom Rachel calls Second Concubine.
SECOND MASTER 二爺: See NED.
SECOND MASTER 二師父: A spinster in the Pien clan who later became a Buddhist nun.
SECOND UNCLE 二大爺: The nephew of Julie’s paternal grandfather. One of Julie’s paternal uncles. Julie called him Second Uncle.
SECOND UNCLE and SECOND AUNT 二叔二嬸: How Julie was instructed to address her birth parents, Ned and Rachel.
SEVEN, MISS 小翿七: Euphoria’s fellow prostitute.
SEVENTH MISTRESS 七翿太太: Senior member in the family of Eleventh Master and Thirteenth Master from a wealthy branch of the Sheng clan.
SHAO CHIH-YUNG 潋之椳: Julie’s first husband. Also romantically involved with other women. Worked for the Wang Ching-wei government during the Japanese occupation but had to flee after the Japanese lost the war. He usually appears as Chih-yung in the novel.
SISTER HSÜ 緒嫂嫂: Brother Hsü’s wife.
SU, MISS 素姐姐: Uncle Chu’s daughter from his first marriage. Miss
Su and Brother Hsü were consanguineous siblings with different mothers.
T
TALL AND SKINNY 檉子: One of two opium preparers in the Sheng household.
T’ANG KU-WU 湯孤扗: T’ang the Solitary Mallard. A celebrity writer popular in the 1920s who established a new magazine to which Julie made some submissions.
TENG SHENG 滙升: A longtime male servant in the Sheng household.
THIRD AUNT 三姑: See JUDY.
THÉRÈSE, SISTER 特瑞絲嬤嬤: A Cantonese nun in Julie’s university dormitory in Hong Kong.
THIRD CONCUBINE 三姨奶奶: Uncle Chu’s third concubine. Sold the servant girl who gave birth to Brother Hsü.
THIRTEENTH MASTER 十三爺: One of Julie’s paternal uncles in
Tientsin from the wealthy branch of the Sheng clan. He evicts Ned’s mistress Euphoria.
V
VERMILLION, AUNTIE 翿朱: Aunt Chu’s maid.
W
WEI, MR. 撱先生: A man from Jenny’s hometown in northwest China, who dated Jenny.
WEN, MR. 羢先生: Lumber merchant and the husband of Shao Chih-yung’s niece Hsiunan.
WENDY 文姬: Literary editor who introduced Shao Chih-yung to Julie.
Y
YANG, DR. 楊湕生: See CHARLIE YANG, DR.
YEN MING-SHENG 嚴明昇: Overseas Chinese student. Julie’s classmate in Hong Kong and former competitor.
YEN SHAN 燕山: Actor and director. Has a romance with Julie after Shao Chih-yung. Married Resplendent Autumn Snow, a female opera singer.
YÜ, AUNTIE 余媽: Julian’s nanny. Came from the Pien clan along with Jade Peach as part of Rachel’s dowry.
YÜ, MR. 漿先生: Provided refuge to Chih-yung in the countryside after the Sino-Japanese War ended.
YÜ-HENG 毓恒: A young male servant. Joined the Sheng household as part of Rachel’s dowry. His marriage with Jade Peach does not last.
YÜ K’O-CH’IEN 禢克潛: Disciple of a famous contemporary writer. Shao Chih-yung’s friend and colleague.
YÜN-CHIH 椎志: Julie and Julian’s maternal uncle. Rachel’s younger brother. The housemaid Ling bought Yün-chih from a refugee family when
he was an infant.