Xue Baochai

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Xue Baochai (Chinese: 薛寶釵; Pinyin: Xuē Bǎochāi) is one of the principal characters in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is extremely beautiful and socially graceful, and she encourages men to put full effort into pursuing their careers. Her attributes complement those of her cousin Lin Daiyu. Indeed, it has been suggested that the two women are complements of one another - each has exactly the attributes of Cao Xueqin's ideal woman which the other lacks. She is the only daughter of Aunt Xue and the younger sister of Xue Pan, a local Jinling bully. Unlike her brother,she is an excellent poet and a good elder cousin to Baoyu and Daiyu, and a good mistress to her maids. She also is a capable person, once helping Lady Wang manage the Jung Mansion. Eventually, she marries Jia Baoyu.