In A Dream of Red Mansions, people are divided into 369 classes. When they travel, they choose different means of transportation because of their identity, location and distance. In short, there are about five kinds, some of which are very common and some are rare. Lin Daiyu sailed along the Grand Canal to Hebei. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were official ships specialized in transporting grain in the canal. This kind of cabin has food, seats and beds, so it is very comfortable.
Generally speaking, it is customized by officials themselves, but also by boatmen, and then contracted to officials for water transportation. Lin Daiyu should have come to Beijing in a sedan chair carried by a boatman. In the Qing dynasty, sedan chairs were used as a means of transportation. Officials above level 3 used four people to carry sedan chairs, while officials below level 4 could not use two people to carry sedan chairs. In A Dream of Red Mansions, "jade" refers to the car used by the royal family, which is relatively rare because it represents the majesty and etiquette of the royal family.
A mule cart is a sedan chair carried by animals. It is supported on the backs of two mules with two long poles. There is a car in the middle. People can lie in the car to cope with long distances. Mom means a lot to the Jia family. The Jia family is a noble and has its own stable. In addition to the stables, the Jia family also has grooms, pointing out the identity and status of the characters. Take sedan chair as an example. Different people sit in different sedan chairs on different occasions and have different meanings. According to the official etiquette, Jia Yucun, Dai Quan, eight children, sons of kings and relatives of other concubines in the province all sit in sedan chairs.
The eight-person sedan chair that Jia Mu took not only has the etiquette of hierarchy, but also embodies the fine etiquette of Jia Jia. These details not only truly reflect the social situation at that time, but also describe the status of the characters more accurately.