Taiming
Taiming is described as “quiet, sincere, and diligent.” He refuses to take part in any political matters and to choose sides, so he withdraws himself and focuses on his studies. When he falls in love with Hisako, a Japanese coworker, he knows that it is not possible to marry her but he entertains this thought anyway until Hisako breaks up with him. Even when he is eventually married and has a daughter in China, he seems to be detached because he leaves his wife and child behind after he is arrested. When the situation of the people in his village worsens, he turns to the old Chinese masters and their writings. When his mother and stepbrother die during the war, he becomes insane.
The Cat
The Cat is the nickname of the principal of the school Taiming works at. He personifies the Japanese superiority, using the school’s janitor as his personal servant, making him chop wood, prepare his bath, and run errands. He also favors the Japanese staff by assigning them formal, funded trips and rare paid leaves.
Hisako
During his time at the Japanese school, Taiming falls in love with his coworker Hisako, whose “gymnastically trained limbs flashed elegant arcs. It was incredible. As she turned, the hem of her skirt spiraled upward, revealing a couple of pistils, the whitest of legs.“ While she appears to be beautiful on the outside, she is rather ugly on the inside, maintaining a sense of superiority. For example, she calls the Taiwanese barbarians and talks about them condescendingly. Finally, when Taiming confesses his love to her, she makes it clear that she cannot be with him.
Ruie
Ruie is one of Taiming’s coworkers and the only woman at his welcome party. She clearly is attracted to Taiming, but he only has eyes for Hisako. When Taiming leaves Taiwan to go to Japan, she is the only one waiting for him at the harbor to wish him farewell. He then realizes that he has feelings for her as well, but he suppresses them.
Tsuruko
Tsuruko is the daughter of the landlady whose room Taiming rents in Japan. She does not speak much, but she always cleans his room and leaves flowers in his room. Taiming’s “studies benefited from her unassuming presence which, like her flowers, colored and stimulated his life,” but eventually he leaves her when he moves to China.
Shuchun
Shuchun is one of Taiming’s students. He feels attracted to her, but she has a rather odd plan to find the ideal husband: She wants to find thirty boyfriends, choose the best three from them, and then choose her husband from the three to make sure she finds the best possible man. However, she soon realizes that this endeavor would be too difficult, so she agrees to marry Taiming. While Taiming wants her to become a good housewife, she wants to pursue a career, which leads to her accepting a job in the Diplomatic Bureau. Moreover, they develop different tastes and after a while become quite incompatible, even after their daughter is born. Eventually, Taiming leaves his family behind when he is arrested.
