Hou Jian is a fictional character in ''

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 ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Long Armed Ape", he ranks 71st among the

108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Heroes are the main characters of the Ming dynasty classic Chinese novel the ''Water Margin'', which was written in the 14th century and usually attributed to Shi Nai'an. The heroes are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly F ...

and 35th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Skinny and dexterous, Hou Jian is nicknamed "Long Armed Ape" both for his appearance and his slick skill in needlework. A native of Hongdu (洪都; present-day

Nanchang Nanchang (, ; ) is the capital of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

), Hou, who works as a tailor in a garrison town affiliated to Jiangzhou (江州; present-day

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...

, Jiangxi), has learnt martial arts from

Xue Yong Xue Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sick Tiger", he ranks 84th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 48th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background Xue Yong, ...

Joining Liangshan

Hou Jian is hired to work as a tailor in the house of Huang Wenbing, a petty government official in the garrison town of Wuwei near to Jiangzhou. Huang one day stumbles upon a seditious poem that

Song Jiang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

, who is living as an exiled prisoner in Jiangzhou, has written on a wall in a restaurant when drunk. Huang reports the poem to Cai Jiu, Jiangzhou's governor. Song Jiang is arrested and soon sentenced to death. The outlaws from

Liangshan Marsh Mount Liang (, often referred to in Chinese as ) is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel ''Water Margin ...

hurry to Jiangzhou and save him just when he is going to be beheaded. As the group rest in the manor of the Mu brothers (

Mu Hong Mu Hong (; born December 1956) is a Chinese economist and official, serving since 2014 as the executive deputy director of the Office of Deepening Reform (minister-level), and since 2007 as a deputy director of the National Development and Refor ...

and Mu Chun), Song Jiang swears vengeance against Huang Wenbing. Xue Yong recommends Hou Jian as their guide to get into Wuwei and the official's house. Hou leads the group to Huang's address, where he tricks the official's family to open the door. The outlaws then charge in and kill the entire family. Although Huang himself is not present, he is captured by

Zhang Shun Zhang Shun is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "White Stripe in the Waves", he ranks 30th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destin ...

on the Xunyang River as he hurries home upon seeing Wuwei is burning. After cutting Huang into pieces, the group, including Hou Jian, heads to Liangshan.

Campaigns and death

Hou Jian is placed in charge of the making of flags and clothes for Liangshan after the

came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. In a flank attack by a waterway led by

Ruan Xiaoqi Ruan Xiaoqi, also known as Ruan the Seventh, is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Living King Yama", he ranks 31st among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third o ...

during the campaign against

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 sometime ...

, Hou Jian, a non-swimmer, drowns when his boat overturns after being swept into the open sea by a storm.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hou, Jian 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional tailors Fictional characters from Jiangxi