| | | Part I |
1 | So-sa | | Li-yan's mother. Aka: A-ma. |
| First | Brother | Li-yan's first brother. |
| Second | Brother | Li-yan's second brother. |
| Third | Brother | Li-yan's third brother. |
| Sha-li | | Li-yan's father. Aka: A-ba. |
| Ci-teh | | Li-yan's neighbor and friend. |
| Deh-ja | | Ci-teh's sister-in-law. |
| First | Sister-in-law | First Brother's wife. |
| Second | Sister-in-law | Second Brother's wife. |
| Third | Sister-in-law | Third Brother's wife. |
| | | Akha - Li-yan's tribe. |
| Li-yan | | Protagonist and Narrator. Aka: Tina Chang. |
| San-pa | | The pancake stealer. Li-yan's first husband. |
| Lo-san | | San-pa's father. |
| Bah-lo | | San-pa's grandfather. |
| Za-bah | | San-pa's great grandfather. |
| Ci-do | | Ci-teh's brother. |
| Deh-ja | | Ci-do's wife. |
3 | Zhang | | Li-yan's teacher. |
| Mao | Ze Dong | The founding father of the Republic of China. |
| Lu | Xun | A writer. |
| | | Part II |
4 | Leo | Tolstoy | A Russian writer. |
| Fyodor | Dostoevsky | A Russian novelist. |
| Law | Ba | Li-yan's friend who lives in Bamboo Forest Village. |
| Huang | Benyu | Tea master Sun's friend. A businessman. |
| Xian-rong | | Huang benyu's son. |
| Wu | | A tea master. |
| Lu | Yu | The greatest tea master. |
6 | Yan-Yeh | | Li-yan and San-pa's daughter. Aka: Haley Davis. |
| Zhou | Shue-ling | The director in Menghai Social Welfare Institute. |
7 | Roger | Siegel | A medical doctor at Mattel Children's Hospital in UCLA. |
| Sheldon | Katz | Haley Davis's doctor. |
| Constance | Davis | Adoptive mother of Yan-yeh. |
| Dan | Davis | Adoptive father of Yan-yeh. |
8 | Wife-of-ah-joe | | Li-yan's friend. |
| Wife-of-shaw | Kah | Li-yan's friend. |
| | | Part III |
| Mrs. | Johnson | Haley Davis's teacher. |
10 | Guo | | Li-yan's teacher. |
| Sun | | A tea master. |
| Miss | Henderson | Haley Davis's teacher. |
11 | Jade | | Haley Davis's friend. |
| Jasmine | | Haley Davis's friend. |
12 | Mrs. | Chang | A high school English teacher. |
| Nixon | | The U.S. President. |
| Jin | Chang | Mrs. Chang's son. Li-yan's 2nd husband. |
| Mr. | Lin | Li-yan's regular tea customer. |
| Mr. | Chow | Li-yan's regular tea customer. |
| Mr. | Kwan | Li-yan's regular tea customer. |
| | | Part IV |
13 | Xian | Rong | Mr. Huang's son. |
| Zhang | Yin | The richest person in China. |
| Mr. | Kelly | Haley Davis's American history teacher. |
| Thomas | Lipton | A grocery store owner. Owner of Lipton tea. |
14 | Rosie | Ng | Li-yan and Jin Chang's neighbor. |
15 | A-poe-mi-yeh | | The Akha's Supreme God. |
| Dr. Arnold | Rosen | A psychological therapist from Chines adoptees. |
| Heidi | | One of the Chines adoptees. |
| Tiffany | | One of the Chines adoptees. |
| Jessica | | One of the Chines adoptees. |
| Paul William | Chang | Li-yan and Jin Chang's son. Aka: Jin-ba. |
| | | Part V |
16 | Adam | Bowen | Alice Bowen's husband. |
| Alice | Bowen | Adam Bowen's wife. |
| Amy | Bowen | Alice and Adam's adoptive daughter. |
17 | Addison | | Jin-ba's classmate. |
| Annabeth | Ho | Haley Davis's thesis adviser. |
| Dominic | Ng | CEO of Eastwest Bank. |
| Peggy | Cherng | CEO of Panda Express. |
| Andrew | Cherng | Husband of Peggy Cherng. |
| Sean | Wong | A man to whom Haley shows her tea cake. |
| Mr. | Piu | An owner of a tea plantation. |