''The Generals of the Yang Family'' is a collection of Chinese

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, plays and

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s on a military family from the earlier years of

imperial China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

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 ...

(960–1279). The stories recount the unflinching loyalty and the remarkable bravery of the Yangs as they sacrificed themselves to defend their country from foreign military powers, namely the Khitan-ruled

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 ...

(907–1125) and Tangut-ruled

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...

(1038–1227). Spanning the century from 950 to 1050, the mostly fictional saga was based on the lives of historical characters

Yang Ye Yang Ye (楊業) or Yang Jiye (楊繼業)According to he changed his name directly from Liu Jiye to Yang Ye in 979, changing both the surname and the given name. If this is to be believed, the name Yang Jiye is technically incorrect, but shows ...

(died 986), Yang Ye's son Yang Yanzhao ( 958–1014) and Yang Yanzhao's son

Yang Wenguang Yang Wenguang (; died 1074) was a general in ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty. In history, Yang Wenguang was the son of Yang Yanzhao, however, he is the grandson of Yang Yanzhao in the popular fictionalized stories of Yang clan warriors. ...

(died 1074). As Yang Yanzhao was nicknamed "6th son" (六郎) in history, the stories made him Yang Ye's 6th eldest son. Also, as Yang Wenguang was close to 2 generations younger than his father, the stories made him Yang Yanzhao's grandson instead.

Historical basis

Historical background

In 907, when the once-glorious

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

officially ended,

entered the chaotic and fragmented phase known as the

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

. The decades that followed were marked by regional warlords, many legitimizing themselves as

emperors An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, fighting amongst one another for power and territories. The year 907 also marked the beginning of such a militaristic state — officially called the Liao after 947 — established by

Khitan people The Khitan people (Khitan small script: ; ) were a historical nomadic people from Northeast Asia who, from the 4th century, inhabited an area corresponding to parts of modern Mongolia, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. As a people desce ...

in roughly today's

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

and

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

. The Khitans were largely nomadic people and frequently engaged in raids of the more affluent agricultural

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

and Korean people in the south for wealth. The southern area known as the Central Plain, or the Chinese heartland, defended against the Khitan incursions with strategical points or passes established roughly along the line of the old

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against Eurasian noma ...

. However, the area including these passes, known as the

Sixteen Prefectures The Sixteen Prefectures () comprise a historical region in northern China along the Great Wall in present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei and Shanxi. Name It is more specifically called the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun or the Six ...

, were given to the Liao Dynasty in 936 by general

Shi Jingtang Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms pe ...

, in exchange for military aid in Shi's personal war against the Later Tang. With no more passes impeding their army, the Khitans gained unlimited access to the Central Plain: just a decade later, they easily took their army south to extinguish the same

Later Jin Later Jin may refer to two states in imperial China: * Later Jin (Five Dynasties) (後晉; 936–947), one of the Five Dynasties * Later Jin (1616–1636) (後金; 1616–1636), precursor to the Qing dynasty See also * Jin (disambiguation) Jin ...

they helped Shi establish. Even though the Khitans did not occupy the Central Plain, partially because their constant looting had caused unmanageable unrest, the sad fate of Later Jin already illustrated the danger looming in the north for any succeeding Chinese dynasty. When the

was established in the Central Plain in 960, it first tried to appease the Liao Dynasty to focus on campaigns against the states in southern China, but the goal of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures had always been there.

The Yang family

, a general of the

Northern Han The Northern Han () was a dynastic state of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (), formerly known as Liu Chong (), and lasted from 951 to 979. Founding of the Northern Han The short-lived state of Later Ha ...

Kingdom, was nicknamed "Invincible" (無敵) due to his tactical prowess and unmatched gallantry in battle. He served the

after

Liu Jiyuan Liu Jiyuan () (died in 992), also known by his regnal name Emperor Yingwu of (Northern) Han ((北)漢英武帝), was the last ruler of the Shatuo-led Chinese Northern Han dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was the gra ...

, ruler of Northern Han, surrendered. Emperor Taizong of Song had great faith in Yang Ye and commissioned him to defend Song's northern border from the Khitan-ruled

, which Yang Ye proved himself by defeating in the

Battle of Yanmen Pass Yanmen Pass, also known by its Chinese name Yanmenguan and as Xixingguan, is a mountain pass which includes three fortified gatehouses along the Great Wall of China. The area was a strategic choke point in ancient and medieval China, contro ...

, instilling fear in the enemy but also incurring jealousy of some Song officials. In 986, during a northern campaign against Liao forces, the Song force commanded by General

Pan Mei Pan Mei (潘美) ( 925From his date and Chinese age at death we can deduct that he was born some time between 27 January 925 and 14 February 926. – 20 July 991) was a military general and statesman in the early years of imperial China's Song ...

was attacked by main enemy force along the way. Pan Mei and others forced Yang Ye to lead an army to resist a much larger enemy despite Yang Ye's opposition. Yang Ye engaged Liao forces in a bloody battle at Chenjiagu (陳家谷), but reinforcements did not arrive as promised. Surrounded by the much larger army, Yang Ye was captured by Liao forces and starved himself to death. One of Yang Ye's seven sons was killed. Pan Mei was later demoted by Emperor Taizong for Yang Ye's death. The most outstanding of Yang Ye's seven sons was Yang Yanzhao, who continued defending Song's northern border from Liao forces for more than two decades and the Khitans feared him. Yang Yanzhao's son

also became an important general and followed Di Qing on a southern campaign against

Nong Zhigao Nong Zhigao (modern Zhuang language: ; , vi, Nùng Trí Cao, links=no) (1025–1055?) is a hero admired by the Nùng people of Vietnam, and Zhuang people, Zhuang people of China. His father Nong Quanfu was head of the local Zhuang people in Gu ...

. He also defended Song's western borders from

Literary development

Early development: 11th to 13th centuries

Legends on the Yang family began very early. In 1051, even before Yang Wenguang distinguished himself in the military, scholar

Ouyang Xiu Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writer a ...

had inscribed the following on the tombstone of a Yang family relative. He was clearly referring to Yang Ye and Yang Yanzhao: The earliest reference to the saga were from the so-called Southern Song (1127–1279), when the Song Dynasty had to relocate its capital to Southern China in

Lin'an Linan or Lin'an may refer to the following locations in China: *Hangzhou (), formerly named Lin'an () in the Song Dynasty **Lin'an District (), a district of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Towns and Townships *Linan, Fujian, a town in Xianyou County, Fujian * ...

(modern

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

), for its northern territory had been

conquered Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

by the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty. Among a recorded list of stories told by Lin'an storytellers, two titles clearly involved the Yang family: * "Commander Lord Yang" (楊令公) * "The fifth son becomes a monk" (五郎為僧)

Yuan/Ming Dynasty plays: 14th to 15th centuries

In a list of plays from Southern Song Dynasty's northern neighbor Jin dynasty (1115–1234), one title probably refers to an episode in the Yang saga: * ''Da Wang Shumi Cuan'' (打王樞密爨; "The Skit of Beating Military Affairs Commissioner Wang") By the

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

(1271–1368), plays in the form of '' zaju'' on the Yang saga appeared. Many scripts survived in its entirety, almost all compiled the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

so their authenticity have

* ''Haotian ta Meng Liang dao gu'' (昊天塔孟良盜骨; "At

Haotian Pagoda Haotian Pagoda () or Liangxiang Pagoda () is an octagonal brick pagoda situated in Haotian park in the Fangshan District of Beijing. It has 5 octahedral shaped hollow tiers and is 36m high. Originally constructed during Sui dynasty, the pagoda h ...

Meng Liang Steals the Bones") * ''Ba dawang kaizhao jiu zhongchen'' (八大王開詔救忠臣; "The Eighth Great Prince Opens a Proclamation and Saves a Loyal Vassal") * ''Xie Jinwu zha chai Qingfeng fu'' (謝金吾詐拆清風府; "Xie Jinwu Underhandedly Tears Down Clear Breeze Mansion") * ''Yang Liulang diaobing po tianzhen'' (楊六郎調兵破天陣; "Yang's 6th son lines up his troops and defeats the Heavenly Battle Array") * ''Jiao Guangzan huona Xiao Tianyou'' (焦光贊活拿蕭天佑; "Jiao Guangzan catches Xiao Tianyou alive") * ''Huang Meiweng cifu shangshou'' (黃眉翁賜福上壽; "The Yellow-Eyebrows Greybeard offers blessing and extends longevity")

Ming/Qing Dynasty novels: 16th to 19th centuries

(1368–1644), a number of novels on the Yang family began to appear. The two that have survived to this day both appeared during Wanli Emperor's reign (1572–1620): * The earliest extant version was from 1593, but it was probably written during Jiajing Emperor's reign (1521–1567). The author was almost certainly Xiong Damu (熊大木), a bookstore owner. * The earliest extant edition was from 1606, but it was likely a slightly revised edition of text from the early 16th century. The author was Qinhuai Moke (秦淮墨客; "The Qinhuai Ink Guest"), believed to be the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Ji Zhenlun (紀振倫), probably a bookstore scribe in Jinling (金陵; modern

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

). These novels would become the primary source materials for the legends. In

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644-1911), more novels appeared. Some are modifications of the previous novels, some retold particular stories, while some are sequels.Zhang, Ch.4 Other novels with similar settings would also feature characters from the Yang family, for example the novels featuring Zhao Kuangyin (927–976) or Di Qing (1008–1057) as their main character. Other novels in later settings also included characters who were alleged descendants of the Yang family: *"Blue Faced Beast" Yang Zhi (楊志), a character in the classical novel ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'', is a fictitious descendant of Yang Ye. *

Yang Zaixing Yang Zaixing (, died 21 August 1140) was a Song dynasty general under Yue Fei, known for his ferocity in battles. He fought against the Jin dynasty in the Jin–Song Wars. His heroic death in the battle of Yancheng—where he led 300 cavalry to ...

(died 1140), a historical general of the Southern Song Dynasty, was said to be a descendant of Yang Ye through Yang Yanzhao in the novel ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'' (說岳全傳) about

Yue Fei Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Song dynasty, Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song force ...

had two sons, Yang Zhengyuan (楊正園) and Yang Zhengguo (楊正國).

Qing Dynasty opera: 19th century

The

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...

, who reigned from 1796 to 1820, ordered the compilation of a ''Song Book to Enlighten Generations'' (昭代箫韶), containing 240 plays in '' kunqu'' about the generals of the Yang family. The compilation was published in 1813 and attributed to Wang Tingzhang (王廷章) and Fan Wenxian (范聞賢). Over the years the opera series was only performed 3 times due to its length.Zhang, Ch. 5 Later, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered its modification into the Peking opera version, a huge project that lasted from 1898 until 1900 when it was interrupted by the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

and subsequent foreign invasions. In addition to the plays shown in the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...

, ''

qinqiang Qinqiang (秦腔, pinyin: Qín qiāng, literally "Qin's tune") is a genre of folk Chinese opera originated in Shaanxi Province of Qing China in 1807 and soon took over other genres to be the representative genre of the province. Historically, th ...

'', '' yuju'', ''

pingju Pingju or Ping opera () is a form of Chinese opera from northern China. History Pingju originated in Tangshan, Hebei, near the city of Tianjin.. Among all China's regional operas, it was the most famous in the Republican period for its passiona ...

'' and many other local

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

forms have all throughout the centuries developed their own stories about generals of the Yang family. Many of the stories aren't found in novels and have vastly enriched the legends. In the 20th century, the stories were greatly popularized in China through the performing art ''

pingshu ''Pingshu'' () or ''pinghua'' () refers to the traditional Han Chinese performing art of storytelling with no musical accompaniment. It is better known as ''pingshu'' in northern China and ''pinghua'' in southern China. Performing art Pingshu ...

'' (storytelling).

Basic story

During the

's invasion of the much weaker

Kingdom, Emperor Taizu of Song's army was surprised by Northern Han general

and suffered a major defeat. Song general

Pan Renmei Pan Mei (潘美) ( 925From his date and Chinese age at death we can deduct that he was born some time between 27 January 925 and 14 February 926. – 20 July 991) was a military general and statesman in the early years of imperial China's Song ...

was almost killed by Yang Ye and the Song army had no choice but to retreat. Years later, Emperor Taizu's successor Emperor Taizong initiated another invasion, again stopped by forces led by Yang Ye, his wife

She Saihua She Saihua (佘賽花) is a legendary heroine from ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty. The wife of Yang Ye and the mother of their 7 sons, she is a prominent figure in the stories on ''Yang Jia Jiang, Generals of the Yang Family''. The elderl ...

, and their 7 sons. Pan Renmei was injured by an arrow from She Saihua. Emperor Taizong had to bribe corrupt Northern Han officials who spread rumors to create

distrust Distrust is a formal way of not trusting any one party too much in a situation of grave risk or deep doubt. It is commonly expressed in civics as a division or balance of powers, or in politics as means of validating treaty terms. Systems based ...

between Northern Han's ruler

and Yang Ye. This eventually led to Liu Jiyuan's defeat and surrender. After Yang Ye's reluctant surrender, Emperor Taizong awarded his family an impressive mansion in the capital

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

called "Heaven Wave House". Gratified, Yang Ye swore allegiance to the emperor and defeated the

forces from Song's northern borders again and again. The jealous Pan Renmei, also the emperor's father-in-law, offered to the emperor to name his son Pan Bao the vanguard, but the other ministers were not convinced since Pan Bao had no experience. Pan Renmei then offered to start a

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

tournament in Kaifeng's Tianqi Temple, but specified that the Yang family shall not participate. The emperor agreed. Yang Ye locked his sons at home, but on the last day the 7th son sneaked out the house, joined the tournament, and killed Pan Bao who had been using underhand means to defeat his opponents. Yangyansi 1593

After several attempts to kill Yang family members failed, Pan Renmei turned to the Liao army for help and assisted them in luring and besieging the outnumbered Yang Ye, his 7 sons and Emperor Taizong in the border city of

Youzhou You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture ('' zhou'') in northern China during its imperial era. "You Province" was cited in some ancient sources as one of the nine or twelve original provinces of ...

. With no better options available, Yang Ye's 1st son volunteered to dress as the emperor and meet the Liao prince for a risky peace talk called the "Double-Dragon Meet" in Golden Beach, while the real Emperor Taizong escaped. As feared, the meeting turned out to be a trap, and only his two youngest sons remained when Yang Ye and his men retreated to Twin Wolves Mountain. Yang Ye asked his 7th son to fight a way out to Pan Renmei's camp for reinforcement. The 7th son managed to reach Pan Renmei, but was drugged, tied up and shot to death by countless arrows. Severely outnumbered in the trap and with no sight of reinforcement, Yang Ye also learned the confirmed deaths of his eldest 3 sons. To avoid being captured, he committed suicide by knocking his head against a stone tablet bearing Li Ling's name. His 6th son managed to fight a way out back to the Song territory, but was confronted by generals ordered by Pan Renmei to kill him. Instead, the generals who all respected Yang Ye told him about his 7th brother's death and let him go. On the way back to Kaifeng, the 6th son also befriended a man named Wang Qin, who unbeknownst to him was a Liao spy. When Emperor Taizong received the 6th son's report about Pan Renmei's crimes, he also received a report by Pan Renmei accusing the Yangs of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. The first judge of the case was bribed by Pan Renmei's daughter Consort Pan and tried to help the Pans but that was stopped by the emperor's nephew

Zhao Defang Zhao Defang (; c. 959–981) was an imperial prince of imperial China's Song Dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of Zhao Dezhao. He was the 3rd great-grandfather of Emperor Xiaozong of Song. Family *Parent ...

, also known as the "Eighth Virtuous Prince". The second judge escaped from his post for fear of offending the Pans. After a long time, the Eighth Virtuous Prince finally located a candidate for the post, a provincial official named

Kou Zhun Kou Zhun ( 961 – 24 October 1023), courtesy name Pingzhong, was a much-praised official in ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty. He was the chancellor from 1004 to 1006 during Emperor Zhenzong's reign. Biography Kou Zhun became a ''jinshi'' ...

, who despite having only held tiny posts before, had a reputation of intelligence and moral principles. Finally Kou Zhun convicted Pan Renmei of multiple crimes and executed him with the help of the Eighth Virtuous Prince. As the new commander of the Song army succeeding his father, the 6th son Yang Yanzhao continued to fight the Liao forces under the new emperor. Emperor Zhenzong honored the Yang family by building a stone

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, which was disrespected by Xie Jinwu - the son-in-law of Wang Qin who had since become a high official. After Xie Jinwu received a heavy beating by the women in the Yang household, trouble began to arise which resulted in Yang Yanzhao being notified at the border. Worried about his mother, he, without permission, violated the military rules to rush back to the capital with a subordinate Jiao Zan, who couldn't control his anger and killed Xie Jinwu, creating more trouble. Finally reinstated, Yang Yanzhao accidentally noticed that his 5th brother was a monk at

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks roughly corresponding to the c ...

. Having given his soul to the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

in despair after the fighting at Golden Beach, the 5th brother now refused to participate in the Song army or return home, but he proved that blood is thicker than water by helping his brother at a critical time and killing the enemy. Meanwhile, their sister - Yang Ye's 8th child - learned that her father's remains and golden

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

were kept by the Liao in

so she went across the border by herself in an attempt to retrieve the items. She was arrested but escaped with help from someone who turned out to be her 4th brother, now under the false identity "Mu Yi" and had married a Liao princess. Long Corridor-Mu Guiying

When Yang Zongbao, the son of Yang Yanzhao and Princess Chai, travelled to the Muke Fort in search of the Dragon Subduing Wood, which would help in breaking Liao army's Heaven Gate Formation, he met

Mu Guiying Mu Guiying (穆桂英) is a legendary heroine from ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty and a prominent figure in the ''Generals of the Yang Family'' legends. She is the wife of Yang Zongbao and mother of Yang Wenguang. Brave, resolute and loyal ...

, who married him after capturing him. Mu Guiying would prove instrumental in breaking the Heaven Gate Formation with the rest of the Yangs. Around that time,

invaded Song, and Yang Zongbao was killed in action. When Yang Yanzhao died, there were few males left in the Yang family; so, the twelve women in the family participated in the campaign against Western Xia. The female generals of the Yang family proved that they were not inferior to their male counterparts.

Historical and cultural sites

Due to the popularity of the stories throughout the Chinese-speaking world, numerous memorial sites including

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and tombs have been built over the centuries throughout China to commemorate

and the Yang family. Many locations have no known and realistic relationship with the Yangs, yet still claim that events from the stories occurred there. Some of the most well-known sites include: * Invincible Yang Temple (楊無敵廟) in Gubeikou,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, built some time before 1055, when the location was still under Liao control.At least 3 poems about this temple at the location were written within 103 years of Yang Ye's death by Song envoy messengers to Liao. They are: "Passing Gubeikou's Invincible Yang Temple" (過古北口楊無敵廟) written by Liu Chang (劉敞) in 1055; "Passing Gubeikou's Invincible Yang Temple with Zhongxun" (和仲巽過古北口楊無敵廟) written by Su Song (蘇頌) in 1079; and "Gubeikou's Invincible Yang Temple" (古北口楊無敵廟) by Su Che (蘇轍) in 1089. Over the years many generals renovated the temple to pay their respects, including Xu Da in the 14th century and Feng Yuxiang in the early 20th century. It was destroyed in the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

but has since been rebuilt according to old photos. * Tian Bo Yang House (天波楊府) in

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

, the capital of

during the Yangs' time. The name "Tian Bo" (天波; literally "Heaven Wave") is the name of the house of the Yangs in popular legends. The house was built in 1992 as a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

. The location in Kaifeng was chosen based on records written in the 14th century. Some historians doubt whether the Yangs actually had a house in Kaifeng like the records claimed. * Yang Family Ancestral Hall (楊家祠堂) in Dai County,

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

. Allegedly this is the location of Yang family when Yang Ye was serving the

Kingdom. It was built in 1329. * Yang Family City (楊家城) in

Shenmu County Shenmu () is a county-level city in the north of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the northwest and Shanxi province, across the Yellow River, to the southeast. Under the administration of Yulin City, Shenmu is endowed with pl ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

's birthplace. The city walls were built in 748, but at least since 1098 it has been called Yang Family City. The Seven-Star Temple (七星廟) where

and

allegedly married is about 25 km away (the name of course refers to their 7 sons).

Modern references

Stories about the Yang family have been retold in the form of folk tales, stage plays and opera, novels, manhua (comics), films and television dramas.

Literature

Wilt L. Idema Wilt L. Idema (born 12 November 1944) is a Dutch scholar and Sinologist who taught at University of Leiden and Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 16 ...

and

Stephen H. West Stephen H. West, Ph.D. (Traditional Chinese: 奚如谷, pinyin: Xī Rúgǔ; born January 6, 1944) is a sinologist, philologist, and translator. West received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He formerly taught at University of Califor ...

's ''The Generals of the Yang Family-Four Early Plays'', offers a complete translation of four early plays of the Yang Family Generals. * Yang Zhi (Water Margin), the Blue-Faced Beast of the

, is a fictional descendant of the Yang Generals. *In Louis Cha's '' Condor Trilogy'',

Yang Tiexin The following is a list of characters from the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. Some of these characters are fictionalised personas of, or are based on, actual historical figures, such as Wang Chongyang, Qiu Chuji, Dua ...

(楊鐵心), Yang Kang (楊康) and Yang Guo (楊過) are fictitious descendants of

Opera and music

Composer

Du Mingxin Du Mingxin (; b. August 19, 1928) is a Chinese composer known for his work on ballets, concertos and a symphonic Beijing Opera. Biography His early studies include time at the famous Yucai School in Chongqing. He moved to Shanghai in 1948, where ...

wrote a

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

to a Chinese libretto titled ''Yang Men Nü Jiang'' (). The opera was based on the Yangju opera ''Commanding the Troops at 100 Years Old'', and was first performed in 1960 by the China Peking Opera Company. The opera is set during the war between the Northern

and the Kingdom of

, after the death of Song general Yang Zongbao. Yang Zongbao's 100-year-old grandmother, She Saihua, along with Mu Guiying and other widows of the Yang family, lead the Song army to resist the invaders. In 2000 Du Mingxin also produced a symphonic version of the opera for the China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), consisting of an overture, three movements and an epilogue. This was the first symphonic work commissioned for the newly established CPO at that time.

Films

;

Musical films Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

* ''How Muk Kwai-ying Thrice Captured and Released Yeung Chung-bo'' (穆桂英三擒三縱楊宗保), a 1956 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''Eighth Sister Yeung'' (楊八妹招親), a 1956 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''How Muk Kwai-ying and Yeung Chung-bo Defeated the Heavenly Gate Militia'' (穆桂英楊宗保大破天門陣), a 1957 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''Mu Guiying Battling in Hongzhou'' (穆桂英大戰洪州), a 1958 Chinese film in Peking opera. * ''Mu Guiying Takes Command'' (穆桂英掛帥), a 1958 Chinese film in

Yu opera Yu opera (), or Yuju opera, sometimes known as Henan bangzi"Bangzi" meaning wooden clappers with bars of unequal length (), is one of China's famous national opera forms, alongside Peking opera, Yue opera, Huangmei opera and Pingju. Henan province ...

. * ''The Fourth Son'' (四郎探母), a 1959 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''Golden Sword'' (楊八妹取金刀), a 1959 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''Yang Female Warriors'' (楊門女將), a 1960 Chinese film in Peking opera. * ''Conqueress'' (無敵楊家將), a 1961 Hong Kong film in Cantonese opera. * ''Muk Kwai-ying Finds a Husband'' (穆桂英招親), a 1962 Hong Kong film in

Teochew opera Teochew opera or Chaozhou opera, Chiuchow opera (especially in Hong Kong), is one of the many variants of Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Chaoshan region. It is popular in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailan ...

. * ''She Saihua'' (佘賽花), a 1984 Chinese film in the ''shangdanglaozi'' (上黨落子) opera genre.

Television series

;Musical television series * ''The Generals of the Yang Family'' (楊家將), a 1982 series in Taiwanese opera produced by

CTS Cts or CTS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * Chinese Television System, a Taiwanese broadcast television station, including: ** CTS Main Channel () ** CTS Education and Culture () ** CTS Recreation () ** CTS News and Info () ...

(Taiwan), starring

Yang Li-hua Yang Li-hua (), a Taiwanese opera performer is a star in Taiwan. She had many viewers on local television. People were fascinated by her performances. She played the male lead character so well in one of her performances that viewers were not a ...

as Yang Yanzhao. in 1986, this TV series sequel from 薛丁山救五美 as the last part. * ''The Generals of the Yang Family'' (楊家將), a 1985 series in Taiwanese opera also produced by CTS, starring Yeh Ching as Yang Yanzhao. * ''She Saihua'' (佘賽花), a 2005 Chinese series in Peking opera first broadcast on

CCTV-11 CCTV-11 is the Chinese opera channel of the CCTV (China Central Television) Network in the People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous cou ...

. ;Animation television series * ''The Generals of the Yang Family'' (楊家將), a 2011–2013 Chinese series first broadcast on

CCTV-14 CCTV-14 is a Chinese free-to-air television channel that was launched on 28 December 2003 and is owned by the China Central Television. It airs animated films and series as well as kids game shows and other young-oriented programmes, including ' ...

, so far airing 3 seasons.

Video games

* ''Yang's Troops'' () * ''Yīmén Yīngliè Yángjiā Jiāng'' (), also known as ''Yang Warrior Family'', is an unlicensed

beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

game for the Mega Drive that was published in 1990s. It was developed by Taiwan Sanxun Information Co., Ltd. (台湾三协资讯股份有限公司).

Footnotes

References

Sources

* * * * *

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Generals Of The Yang Family Chinese literature Song dynasty in fiction Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in fiction Liao dynasty in fiction Western Xia in fiction