Jia Yuanchun (賈元春) is a primary character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is Baoyu's elder sister by about ten years older (some versions said only one year older, but this is unlikely given the circumstances). Yuanchun was a lady-in-waiting in the Imperial palace first, then, becomes an Imperial Consort. At the end of the novel, Yuanchun's sudden death precipitates the fall of the Jia family; some say Yuanchun died of palace intrigue, the result of political forces moving against the Jia family.
She is the eldest in the quartet of four "Springs" (4 daughters born into the Jia Clan). Therefore, the way she was named set the pattern for the naming of the other three. Like Baoyu, she had a remarkable birth. She was born on the First day of Chinese New Year and during springtime, hence her given name.
Yuanchun is the daughter of Minister Jia Zheng and Lady Wang, the younger sister-in-law to Li Wan, and elder cousin to Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai and others. The Prospect Garden was built at her instigation.
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