Minli is the protagonist and hero in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. She’s dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. She looks up to her father, the optimist, and clashes with her mother, the cynic. Minli, like most classic heroes, is different from everyone she knows, which is why she's able to design and complete a quest like hers. Even her physical appearance is different: while the novel describes everyone else in her town as muddy or dull, Minli has “glossy black hair with pink cheeks, shining eyes always eager for adventure, and a fast smile that flashed from her face” (2).

Her name means “quick thinking,” and her decision to leave home is emblematic of that quality, but over the course of the novel, Minli becomes someone who still takes action but also listens and reflects. Her sense of empathy connects her with Dragon’s pain and loneliness, which leads her to sacrifice for him in the end. Her curiosity sends her on her initial journey, and her curiosity is also responsible for all the discoveries she makes along the way. Though she frequently feels homesick and guilty for leaving her family, she's determined to complete her mission.