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Xiao Rang
Xiao Rang is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar", he ranks 46th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and tenth among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background Xiao Rang, who lives in Jizhou (濟州; around present-day Jining and Heze, Shandong), is a scholar good in imitating hand-writings including the distinctive ones of the four famous calligraphers of his time -- Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu and Cai Jing. Xiao, nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar" for his rare expertise, is a friend of Wu Yong before the latter became the chief strategist of the Liangshan Marsh outlaws. Becoming an outlaw When Song Jiang is in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), where he is exiled for killing his mistress Yan Poxi, he could move in and out of prison freely with permission of the chief warden Dai Zong, a friend of Wu Yong. One day he gets drunk in a restaurant alone. Lamenting his misfort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jining
Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively. Jining, which is located directly to the north of Lake Nanyang (), is today the northernmost city reachable by navigation on the Grand Canal of China making it an important inland port. Its population was 8,081,905 at the 2010 census, of whom 1,518,000 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area made up of Rencheng urban district on , Yanzhou district not being totally conurbated yet. History The name Jining was first given to the region in the year 1271 during the Song dynasty, although the exact area and type of administrative district it refers to have varied over the centuries. Jining has several distinctive associations in Chinese history and culture, as in antiquity it was the birthplace and home of Confucius, along with many of his more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dai Zong
Dai Zong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Magic Traveller", he ranks 20th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Background The novel depicts Dai Zong as having a broad face, a squarish mouth and a lean body. He can cover 800 '' li'' in a day on foot by incanting a magical spell to activate power in two talismans tied to his legs. Because he is an incredibly fast runner, he is nicknamed "Magic Traveller". Meeting Song Jiang A chief warden of a prison in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), Dai Zong is a good friend of Wu Yong, the chief strategist of the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh. When Song Jiang is exiled to Jiangzhou as a mitigated sentence for killing his mistress Yan Poxi, he passes by Liangshan and meets Wu Yong, who writes a letter for him to take to Dai Zong. The letter requests Dai to treat Song well. In Jiangzhou, Dai initially ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fang La
Fang La (; died 1121) was a Chinese rebel leader who led an uprising against the Song dynasty. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He is sometimes associated with Manichaeism but was most likely not a follower of the religion. Life Fang La was from Shezhou, which is roughly present-day She County, Anhui. However, other sources claimed that he was from Qingxi County (), which is present-day Chun'an County, Zhejiang. In 1120, he led an uprising against the Song Empire in Qixian Village (), Shezhou. Others claimed that he started the rebellion in Wannian District (), Chun'an County. Fang La's forces captured Hangzhou and subsequently took control over parts of present-day Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, with a total of 52 counties and six prefectures. In 1121, the Song government sent a general, Wang Yuan (), to lead an army to crush the rebellion. Wang Yuan's subord ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pei Xuan (Water Margin)
Pei Xuan is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe", he ranks 47th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 11th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background Pei Xuan, a native of Jingzhao Prefecture (京兆府; around present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi), is a ''kongmu'' ( 孔目; magistrate's scribe) in his hometown. He is known for being uncompromising in upholding justice, incorruptible before bribes and fearless of coercions. These attributes earn him the nickname "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe". Besides being well-versed in the law of the Song empire, Pei Xuan, who has a chubby face, is an expert in swordsmanship and likes traditional arts. Joining Liangshan Pei Xuan's no-nonsense approach in handling litigation cases at last gets him into trouble with higher officials. They falsely accuse him of insubordination and get him sentenced to exile in Shamen Island (沙門島; present-day ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wang Qing (Water Margin)
Wang Qing is a fictional character and antagonist in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is one of the three rebel leaders in the Song dynasty along with Fang La and Tian Hu, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel. He only appears in the longest versions of the stories which include these extra chapters. Life The novel describes Wang Qing as a seven ''chi'' tall muscular and handsome man with eyes like a phoenix's, thick brows and a high forehead. He comes from a wealthy family in the Song Empire's capital, Dongjing (東京; present-day Kaifeng, Henan). The young Wang Qing was a street rascal who indulged in gambling, prostitution and drinking. When his parents scolded him about his behaviour, he would turn violent and hurl abuse at them, such that they did not dare to bother about him anymore. After leading an extravagant lifestyle for six to seven years, Wang Qing squandered his family's fortun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jingzhou
Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro'') area comprising two urban districts. Jingzhou's central urban area has grown out of Shashi City and Jingzhou Town (historically also known as Jiangling); their names were preserved in the names of Shashi District and Jingzhou District, which include the city's historical center, as well as Jiangling County, which administers the suburban areas of the larger historical area of Jiangling. The name "Shashi" also remains in the names of a number of local facilities, such as Jingzhou Shashi Airport and a railway freight station. Toponymy The contemporary city of Jingzhou is named after Jingzhou (ancient China), ancient province of the same name, which was one of the nine provinces of ancient China. Said province was named after the nearb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song often came into conflict with the contemporaneous Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties in northern China. After retreating to southern China, the Song was eventually conquered by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The dynasty is divided into two periods: Northern Song and Southern Song. During the Northern Song (; 960–1127), the capital was in the northern city of Bianjing (now Kaifeng) and the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China. The Southern Song (; 1127–1279) refers to the period after the Song lost control of its northern half to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in the Jin–Song Wars. At that time, the Song court retreated south of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liao Dynasty
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü clan of the Khitan people. Founded around the time of the collapse of the Tang dynasty, at its greatest extent it ruled over Northeast China, the Mongolian Plateau, the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, southern portions of the Russian Far East, and the northern tip of the North China Plain. The dynasty had a history of territorial expansion. The most important early gains was the Sixteen Prefectures (including present-day Beijing and part of Hebei) by fueling a proxy war that led to the collapse of the Later Tang dynasty (923–936). In 1004, the Liao dynasty launched an imperial expedition against the Northern Song dynasty. After heavy fighting and large casualties between the two empires, both sides worked out the Chanyuan Trea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Shishi
Li Shishi (?-?) was a courtesan () from Bianjing (now Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Empire. At the time, jiaoji refers to women who engaged in performing arts for a living, and their scope of work included: singing, dancing, reciting poetry and painting during the Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127). According to ''Gui Er Ji'' () written by Zhang Duanyi (), Emperor Huizong was a regular patron of hers. She fled to Zhejiang or Hunan (recorded in Da Song Xuanhe Yishi, ) after the Jingkang Incident of the Jin–Song wars occurred in year 1127 AD, as recorded in ''Mo Man Lu'' () by Zhang Bangji (). Early life Born Wang Shishi, her mother died soon after her birth. Her father fed her bean starch to keep her alive. Her father, Wang Yin, was worker in a clothing pigment factory in Bianjing. When Li was four, her father was jailed for delaying an Imperial textile order. He later died in prison. Li went at first to an orphanage but was later taken in by a procuress named Li Yun, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yan Qing
Yan Qing is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "''Langzi''" (浪子; meaning "the Wanderer" or "the Prodigal"), he ranks last among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Background Yan Qing, who is more than six ''chi'' tall, is a handsome youth with a fair complexion, red lips, thick eyebrows, broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Tattoos of big bright flowers cover his body. In addition to his skill in martial arts, archery and wrestling, Yan Qing sings well and plays many kinds of instruments. His charming looks, his proficiency in learning new tongues and his astuteness in assessing situations and picking up leads make him an ideal spy and infiltrator. He realises this potential after joining Liangshan. Orphaned when a child, Yan Qing is raised by the wealthy squire Lu Junyi, who lives in Daming Prefecture. Grateful to Lu, Yan Qing, who becomes one of two stewar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yue He
Yue He is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Whistle", he ranks 77th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 41st among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background The novel depicts Yue He, a native of Maozhou (茅州; present-day Changyi, Shandong), as good-looking. Talented in music, he could play many kinds of instruments and sing well. He is also skilled in martial arts and makes a good spy. His sister is married to Sun Li, the garrison commandant of Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong). Becoming an outlaw One day Yue He, a jailer in the Dengzhou prison, is put in charge of the new prisoners Xie Zhen and Xie Bao. The hunter brothers have been arrested for smashing up the house of one Squire Mao after failing to find a tiger they shot that had fallen into the old man's garden. In fact the squire and his son had sent the tiger to the prefecture office to claim reward. Yue He sympathises w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gao Qiu
Gao Qiu (1076?–1126) was a government official who lived during the Song dynasty of China and served in the court of Emperor Huizong. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and a nemesis of the protagonists, the 108 Heroes of Mount Liang. Life Gao Qiu was presumably born around 1076 AD. According to the Chinese historical text '' Huizhulu'' () by Wang Mingqing, Gao Qiu was from Kaifeng and his father was Gao Dunfu (). He had two brothers and four sons. He was the second child and his name was given by his father. Career Gao Qiu was a servant of the poet and statesman Su Shi (Su Dongpo) before moving on to serve the artist Wang Shen. He was good at writing according to '' Huizhulu.'' He met Emperor Huizong in around November 1109 AD. During the reign of Emperor Huizong, he participated in battles under Liu Zhongwu's command and followed Lin Shu on a diplomatic mission to the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. As Emperor H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
