Jia Baoyu () is the principal character in the classic 18th century
Chinese novel ''
Dream of the Red Chamber''.
Introduction
The first chapter describes how one piece of stone was left over from when the Wall of Heaven was repaired by the Goddess
Nüwa
Nüwa, also read Nügua, is a mother goddess, culture hero, and/or member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. She is credited with creating humani ...
. That stone, changed into a piece of luminous jade, is given a chance (as requested by itself) to learn from the human existence and the impermanence of human life by following another incarnation who is to be Jia Baoyu.
Baoyu is thus born with a magical piece of
jade
Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
in his mouth. His name, which literally means "precious jade", was given him in honor of this. The jade and Baoyu share a mystical link, and the
Cheng-Gao version ends after the jade is lost for good and Baoyu himself disappears. Baoyu is portrayed as having little interest in learning the
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...
classics, much to the despair of his father, Jia Zheng. He would rather spend his time reading or writing poetry and playing with his numerous female relations. He is by-nature very compassionate and thoughtful (perhaps as a juxtaposition onto the other male characters in the novel).
Lin Daiyu was a fairy flower (known as the Jiang Zhu Cao), was later incarnated as Daiyu to pay back her “debt of tears" to Jia Baoyu, who watered and gave life to the flower.
Baoyu's romance and relationship with
Lin Daiyu and
Xue Baochai forms one of the novel's main plot lines. However, there are many other women who play an important part in his life. In particular, he is a darling of his grandmother, who dotes on him and occasionally shields him from his father. His principal maids are also worthy of note.
The crater Pao-yu on asteroid
433 Eros was named after him.
Alter ego: Zhen Baoyu
There is another Baoyu in the novel, a minor character with the surname of "Zhen" (甄), a homophone for "truth" or "real" in Mandarin. Zhen Baoyu shares many of Jia Baoyu's characteristics, living in a wealthy clan with many attendants and cousins, although he lives in
Jinling (now
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
) rather than in the capital.
In
Zhiyanzhai's commentary, it is clear that Zhen Baoyu would have had a large part to play in the later parts of the novel, now lost. He is to send Jia Baoyu's jade back when it goes missing. Zhen Baoyu, like Jia Baoyu, also becomes a monk at the end. Hence, Zhen Baoyu can be said to be a mirror of Jia Baoyu, just as the fortunes of the fictitious Jia Clan are mirrored in those of the Zhen Clan (the "real" family).
See also
*
Lin Daiyu
*
Xue Baochai
*
Shi Xiangyun
*
Wang Xifeng
References
Dream of the Red Chamber characters
Fictional characters from Jiangsu
Fictional poets
Fictional nobility
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