The author tries not to be overly judgmental of the characters because he recognizes that too many issues were involved in the chaotic years of the early twentieth century China. There are no absolutely right or wrong characters. Each character held a piece of truth and reality and a piece of irrationality. In the preface, Lin writes that " is merely a story of... how certain habits of living and ways of thinking are formed and how, above all, adjust themselves to the circumstances in this earthly life where men strive but gods rule."
While the author does not display hatred toward the Japanese, he does let events and situations affecting the novel characters to let the reader clearly see the reason the Chinese are still bitter about Japan's military past. The novel ends with a cliffhanger, letting the readers hope that the major characters who fled from the coastal regions to the inland of China would survive the horrible war.
Lin wrote the book in English for a U.S. audience. He originally wanted the poet Yu Dafu to do the Chinese translation, but he had only completed the first section when he was killed by the Japanese in World War II. Lin didn't particularly like the first Chinese translation done in 1941.
In 1977 Zhang Zhenyu, a translator from Taiwan, created what is the most popular translation today. It was not available in mainland China until a publisher in Jilin issued a sanitized version in 1987. The current political climate permits Shaanxi Normal University Press to publish the full translation. Yu Dafu's son Yu Fei finished his own translation in 1991, but his version is not widely read.
Main Characters
Many characters in ''Moment in Peking'' are from three wealthy families: Yao, Tseng , and New . However, there are additional characters not from these families that play an integral part in the story, such as Lifu.
* Yao Mulan
The protagonist of the story, Mulan was from the wealthy Yao family. However, during the Boxer Rebellion, she was kidnapped by bandits and rescued by the Tseng family, who thereafter became close friends of the Yao's. Mulan was lively, intelligent, and generous, as well as extremely responsible. Her father always encouraged her interests. In addition, Mulan was extremely interested in "bone characters," or studying ancient Chinese characters written on bones, and singing Chinese opera. Her intelligence, along with her kindhearted nature, caught the interest of a young man named Kung Lifu. Though Mulan had the same sensation with Lifu, she married Sunya, and their marriage was mainly harmonious. They had three children together. The first daughter, Aman, died in the student protest.
* Tseng Sunya
Mulan's husband, Tseng Sunya, who was called "Fatty" by Mulan. As the youngest son of his family, Sunya was arguably the least responsible one, but had the "round character". He began to like Mulan when they were children. When Sunya noticed Mulan's interest in Lifu, he began to be cold with her. When they moved to Hangzhou in their middle age, Sunya fell in love with a young college art student Tsao Lihua, but Mulan won him back by her intelligence.
* Kung Lifu
A scholar and Yao Mochow's husband. He originally fell in love with Mulan, but he married Mochow.
* Yao Mochow
Yao Mulan's sister, also very clever, but to be different from Mulan, she was very calm and quiet.
* Yao Sze-an
He was a playboy when he was young. But he became a great Taoist later. He influenced Lifu very much.
* Mrs. Yao
A traditional Chinese woman. She loved her oldest son, Tijen, best. She opposed Tijen and Silverscreen's love, and caused their death. She was sad and very unhealthy in her later life.
* Cassia
She was the concubine or maid at the Tseng household. She had two daughters Ailien and Lilien, who became modern ladies and married doctors.
* Tseng Wenpo
He was a typical old Manchuria officer, incorrigible and fossil. He hated everything about foreign countries.
* Mrs. Tseng
The leader of the Tseng family. She held the family together, and she liked Mulan and Mannia, but hated Suyun.
* New Suyun
Her parents thought Jinya was a man who had the right characters to be a successful officer, so Suyun married Chinya. During their marriage, she bossed and ordered him around like a busboy. Suyun later became a friend of Inging who was her second brother's concubine. She divorced Chinya, and became an officer's concubine and also the infamous Japanese-controlled heroin dealer known as the "White Flour Queen". Years later, she finally recognized her mistake. She was killed by the Japanese.
* Sun Mannia
Married to the Tseng's eldest son, Pingya. She became a widow the day after her wedding, and was killed by the Japanese during the war.
* New Huaiyu
The second son of the New family. He left his wife and four children, and married a singsong girl named Inging . He became a betrayer of his country, and was nearly killed by his eldest son.
* Tseng Chinya
The second son of the Tseng family.
* Tseng Pingya
The eldest son of the Tseng family. He loved Mannia very much, however, he died the day after his wedding.
* Dimfragrance
She was kidnapped when she was a child, and met Mulan. When Mulan was saved by Mr. Tseng, Dimfragrance was sold to other family. She became a nursery maid of Mulan's child some years later. She finally found her family, and became Jinya's second wife.
* Tsao Lihua
A young art student. She met Sunya in Hangzhou, and fell in love with him. Sunya lied to her that his wife was an old and stupid country woman. When she met Mulan, she was surprised, and eventually became her friend. She finally married another man.
*Yao Tijen
Mulan's older brother. He was a typical foppish man. His father sent him to England to study, but he spent all of the money in Hongkong. He fell in love with his servant girl Silverscreen, and had a son with her. Their love was against by his mother. After Silverscreen's suicide, he died in an accident.
* Afei
Mulan's younger brother. He was taught well by his father.
* Tung Paofen (Dong Baofen, 董宝芬）
A Manchuria princess. Her family once owned the garden which became Yao's later. Her family believed that there were much treasure buried in the garden, and sent her to Yao family to work as a servant girl to find the treasure. She married Afei after Redjade's death.
* Redjade
Mulan, Mochow, and Afei's cousin. She was madly in love with Afei, and admired Lin Daiyu from the classic . When she misunderstood a conversation and thought that Afei didn't love her, she committed suicide by drowning herself.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel has been adapted twice into a television drama, including the most recent version in 2005, starring Zhao Wei.
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