Liu Xianglian is a character in Dream of the Red Chamber. Wikidata uses Liu Xianglian as his name. Cold Gentleman and Second Master Liu are nicknames, so the title stays Liu Xianglian.[1]
In the novel
The cited Chinese Wikipedia says he comes from a hereditary family, lost his parents early, and did not finish his studies. He is handsome and fond of acting, especially the romantic young-male and female roles, and is often mistaken for a professional actor. His nickname is the Cold Gentleman. He is Jia Baoyu's friend and the husband You Sanjie chose for herself. Xue Pan once pressed him with advances and Liu beat him badly. Later, on the road at Ping'an, Liu rescued Xue Pan from bandits. After Jia Lian proposed the match, Liu agreed to marry You Sanjie and gave the mandarin-duck swords as a betrothal gift. He then asked Baoyu about her character, regretted the engagement, and wanted the swords back. You Sanjie killed herself. Liu afterwards followed a Daoist and disappeared. Xue Baoqin's verse contains the line about being beside the willow rather than the plum, and the redologist Zhou Ruchang took that to mean Baoqin and Liu Xianglian eventually marry.[2]
Basic facts
- Name: Liu Xianglian[1]
- Description: a character in Dream of the Red Chamber[1]
- Occupation recorded on this entry: amateur actor[1]
- Appears in: Dream of the Red Chamber