Huangfu Duan 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 ...

in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Purple Bearded Count", he ranks 57th 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 21st among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Huangfu Duan has green eyes and a long yellow beard, which suggest he might be of non-

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

or mixed ancestry. Because of his looks, he is nicknamed the "Purple Bearded Count". He hails from

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 ...

(幽州; around present-day

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 ...

), which borders the Khitan empire, but works as a veterinarian in Dongchang Prefecture (東昌府; in present-day

Liaocheng Liaocheng (), is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

). He is especially good in treating horses, reputedly able to diagnose and cure 400 types of equine disease. He is a friend of "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing, the garrison officer of Dongchang.

Joining Liangshan

Huangfu Duan is the last of the

to appear in ''Water Margin''. He is recommended to

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 ...

by Zhang Qing, who is captured and won over by Liangshan, which has come to Dongchang to seize its grain stock. Zhang is grateful to Song, who keeps him from harm by the Lianghshan chieftains whom he has injured with his stone-flinging skill. Song is glad to recruit Huangfu as horses are critical in all the activities of Liangshan, particularly battles.

Campaigns and service to government

Huangfu Duan is appointed as the veterinarian in charge of all the livestock of Liangshan, particularly horses, after the

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

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. But just before the last expedition starts, which targets

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 ...

, the emperor summons Huangfu Duan to the imperial capital Dongjing and appoints him an imperial veterinarian. Huangfu serves in that position for the rest of his life.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Huangfu, Duan 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional veterinarians Fictional characters from Beijing