| 1 | |
Li Du | Traveling scholar, former librarian in the Forbidden City, in exile |
| 2 |
Sir Nicholas
| Gray | Foreign merchant from the English East India Company bringing gifts for the Emperor, staying at the Dayan magistrate's estate |
| | |
Tulishen | Magistrate of Dayan, cousin of Li Du, formerly named Li Erfeng |
| |
Jia
| Huan | Tulishen's secretary |
| |
Mu
| Gao | Caretaker of Tulishen's library |
| |
Lady
| Chen | Tulishen's consort in Dayan, native of Snow Village |
| 3 |
Brother Pieter
| Van Dalen | Talkative Jesuit, guest at Tulishen's estate, astronomer |
| | |
Hamza | Traveling storyteller |
| |
Brother Martin | Walpole | Young priest also at Dayan, botanist |
| 5 |
Doctor
| Yang | Doctor who attended Van Dalen's death, horticulturist |
| 6 |
Mu
| Gao | Caretaker of the magistrate's library |
| | |
Hoh | Innkeeper in Dayan, uncle of a maid at the magistrate's mansion |
| 7 | |
Norbu & Yonzheng | Couple traveling with the Tibetan Khampa caravan |
| |
Kalden | Dorjee | Khampa leader of the caravan |
| 11 | |
Bao | Niece of the innkeeper, a maid at the mansion |
| 14 |
Old
| Mu | Clerk at the Office of City Records, cousin of Mu Gao |
| 15 |
Hugh | Ashton | British botanist |
