It is clear that Ying-chun is inclined to live in a peace and doesn’t want to be bothered. Her thought looks like in accordance with the ideology of Taoism. Ying-chun, actually, is a very clever girl but is not competitive or aggressive. When the imperial concubine Yuan-chun comes back to visit her family, they plays a quiz game and everyone who guessed correctly gets an ivory-note case except for Ying-chun and Jia Huan. The response of Ying-chun is very calm. “Ying-chun treated the matter as a joke and rapidly dismissed it from her mind, but Jia Huan was very much put out.” (Yang, 223) This detail shows that Ying-chun is a person indifferent to fame and fortune. She doesn’t have a great ambition but pursues for a simple life.
In the Chapter 37, Ying-chun is asked to choose the poem titles but she says: “If you ask me, I think that rather than always have the same two people to choose the titles and set the rhymes, it would be better to draw lots.”(Yang, 380) These words are very interesting because they can indicate that she doesn’t want to be restricted to certain rules but prefers to be natural. She accepts whatever life throws at her and this may also imply the tragic ending of her life. Anyway, she believes fate and doesn’t want to change anything.
Liu Xinwu, a famous redologist in China once pointed in one session of CCTV Lecture Room that there was a beautiful scene of Ying-chun. It appeared in the chapter 38—River Queen triumphs in her treatment of chrysanthemum themes; And Lady Allspice is satirical on the subject of crabs. According to the title of the chapter, it is obvious that the concern of this chapter is Dai-yu which is River Queen and Bao-chai which is Allspice. However, in spite of the beautiful scenery of these main characters, there is also one scene of Ying-chun which is always ignored by the readers. “Ying-chun sat apart from the rest beneath a flowering tree, stringing jasmine blossoms into a flower-chain with a needle and thread.”(Yang, 396) This is a very beautiful picture. Imagine a gentle young girl sitting alone under a tree with blossom jasmines and you will be lost in the tranquil beauty. It is a unique beauty of the east and only a classic eastern woman can interpret it. For a long time, people have mostly paid attention to The Flowers’ Funeral, Perspiring Sports with Butterflies and Drunken- Beauty sleeps on a Peony-Petal Pillow and other beauty portraits but this scene of Ying-chun can also be an unforgettable picture. This picture is very harmonious with the nature and expresses the power of quiet. However, such a gentle and soft beauty is finally destroyed by the dark society. Ying-chun’s tragic fate puts a sense of sadness into this scene.
As for the fate of Ying Chun, there are many implications in the beginning of the book. In chapter 5, when Bao-yu visits the Land of Illusion, the fairy shows him some pictures and one of them is “a striking picture of a savage wolf pursuing a beautiful girl. He had just seized her with his jaws and appeared to eat her.” (Yang, 50) According to the words written beneath it, it can be inferred that Ying-chun would have a terrible marriage. More information is given in the twelve songs sung by the fairies:
Zhong-shan wolf, Inhuman sot, … A delicate young wife of gentle stock To you was no more than a lifeless block, And bore, when you would rant and rave, Treatment fat worse than any slave; … In the English version, the name of this song is very clear to show an unfortunate marriage, however, in the Chinese version, it is very obscure. Therefore, Bao-yu doesn’t understand what the meaning of this song and doesn’t foresee his sister’s tragic fate. The words in Chinese have extensive and profound cultures and sometimes it is difficult to translate a classic into other languages. The meaning and fascination of a masterpiece can only be understood when people know well about the history and culture of the country. As a result, lots of people in the world can’t enjoy the essence of this novel. In spite of the implication in the picture and song, there is another mention about Ying-chun’s fate.
In the chapter 51, the clever cousin, Bao-qin has composed ten quatrains and each of them is a riddle. In the novel, it is said there are clues in the poems and they refer to some well-known events or famous places. However, actually they are the predictions of nine girls’ fate. In one of the poems which is called Peach Leaf Ford, it says:
In the waters a scene of decay is reflected; Long since from its bough did the last peach-leaf fall; Your old Southern mansions has tumbled in ruins, And only your likeness looks down from the wall.
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