Quick Answer: Who Is Wang Xifeng?
Wang Xifeng (王熙凤, Wáng Xīfèng) is the wife of Jia Lian (贾琏, Jiǎ Liǎn) and a household manager in Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦, Hónglóu Mèng). Her quick speech draws attention when Lin Daiyu (林黛玉, Lín Dàiyù) arrives. Later, she directs the funeral arrangements in another branch of the family.[1][3][4]
- In Chapter 3, Daiyu hears her before she sees her.[1]
- Qin Keqing (秦可卿, Qín Kěqīng) appears to her in a dream before the funeral.[3]
- Deng Jie plays her in the 1987 CCTV production.[6]
Her authority is clearest in scenes that show who can give instructions, distribute money and hold others to account.
In one room, a newcomer notices that Wang Xifeng can laugh aloud where others have been quiet. In another, servants wait to have work assigned and supplies issued. The novel makes the two kinds of authority visible before it asks the reader to judge them.
The Voice Before the Entrance
Lin Daiyu first hears Xifeng’s voice from outside the room. Xifeng comes in, greets the girl and changes the register of her speech as she attends to Daiyu and Grandmother Jia. The scene lets the newcomer learn the family’s hierarchy by watching who can break the room’s silence.[1]
How She Takes Charge of the Funeral
After Qin Keqing dies, Xifeng takes on the arrangements in the Ning household (宁国府, Níngguó Fǔ). She divides tasks, records who receives supplies and checks the requests that come before her. Chapter 14 also shows her punishing a late attendant. Her system gives the work a clear structure and makes the consequences of disobeying her unmistakable.[3][4]
A Different Use of Authority
On Granny Liu’s first visit, Xifeng explains that a large household also has expenses, then gives her silver and money for the return journey. The exchange shows a manager deciding what she can give and how to present the gift to a visitor who has had to ask for help.[2]
The Register and the Television Role
The picture conventionally associated with Xifeng among the Twelve Beauties of Jinling puts a phoenix on ice. The picture invites a reader to think about the position on which her authority depends.[5] CCTV’s cast listing identifies Deng Jie as Xifeng in director Wang Fulin’s 1987 television version.[6]
FAQs About Wang Xifeng
Who is Wang Xifeng married to?
She is married to Jia Lian.[1]
Whose funeral does she help manage?
She takes charge of the Ning household’s arrangements after Qin Keqing’s death.[3][4]
Who plays her in the 1987 series?
Deng Jie plays Wang Xifeng.[6]
Источники
[1] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 3
[2] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 6
[3] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 13
[4] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 14
[5] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 5