Zhan Zhao (展昭) is a fictional character in the Chinese

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

classic ''

The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants ''The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants'' (忠烈俠義傳), also known by its 1883 reprint title ''The Three Heroes and Five Gallants'' (三俠五義), is an 1879 Chinese novel based on storyteller Shi Yukun's oral performances. The n ...

''. Nicknamed the "Southern Hero", he is a righteous

knight-errant A knight-errant (or knight errant) is a figure of medieval chivalric romance literature. The adjective '' errant'' (meaning "wandering, roving") indicates how the knight-errant would wander the land in search of adventures to prove his chivalric ...

with incredible

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 ...

skills, often helping

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Bao Zheng Bao Zheng (; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao consistently demonstrated extr ...

uphold justice.

Emperor Renzong of Song Emperor Renzong of Song (30 May 1010 – 30 April 1063), personal name Zhao Zhen, was the fourth emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned for about 41 years from 1022 to his death in 1063, and was the longest reigning Song dynasty empe ...

made him a 4th rank royal guard and gave him the title "Imperial Cat" for his swift movements.

Stories

Saving Bao Zheng at the Gold Dragon Monastery

Zhan Zhao sees a

Taoist priest A daoshi (道士 "master of the Tao"), translated as Taoist priest, Taoist monk, Taoist master or Professional Taoist, is a priest in Taoism. Along with Han Chinese priests, there are also many practicing ethnic minority priests in China. Some o ...

attempting to

commit suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

and saves him. The priest reveals that two

lecherous Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

have killed the old monk in the Gold Dragon Monastery, and are using the place to hide women they kidnap. The priest reported them, but the government took in

bribes Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...

and physically punished the priest instead. Meanwhile,

and servant Bao Xing arrive at the monastery for overnight lodging. At night, Zhan climbs over the wall and discovers that the monks have locked the pair up with plans to murder them for money. Zhan helps them escape while he stays behind. A few hours later, Bao Zheng sees a huge fire from the direction of the monastery.

Saving Bao Zheng at Earth Dragon Crag

While passing through Earth Dragon Crag, Zhan Zhao is confronted by a

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

named Zhao Hu and defeats him quickly. Other bandits come to help and Zhan sees that his old friend Wang Chao is the leader. Wang invites Zhan to the crag where he rules with

blood brother Blood brother can refer to two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, hand or ...

s Ma Han, Zhang Long and Zhao. Zhan discovers that they have two prisoners and recognizes them as

and Bao Xing whom he had saved once before. He asks the bandits to release them and after talking, suggests to the four that instead of remaining as bandits, they should help Bao Zheng serve the country. Eventually his suggestion is followed.

Unfoiling Bao Zheng's Assassination Plot

Near

Chenzhou Chenzhou () is a prefecture-level city located in the south of Hunan province, China, bordering the provinces of Jiangxi to the east and Guangdong to the south. Its administrative area covers , 9.2% of the provincial area, and its total populatio ...

, Zhan Zhao sees a woman crying and learns that

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

Pang Yu had kidnapped a beautiful woman Jin Yuxian. At night, Zhan climbs over the wall to Pang Yu's palace and discovers a plot by Pang and Governor Jiang Wan to assassinate Bao Zheng, on his way to Chenzhou to investigate Pang's wrongdoings. Zhan follows the assassin Xiang Fu and notifies Bao beforehand. At night, Xiang is spotted on the roof by Bao's vigilant entourage and when he tries to escape, Zhan shoots him down with an arrow. Using Zhan's tips, Bao also saves Jin and arrests Pang.

Engagement to Ding Yuehua

Zhan Zhao is invited by

Ding Zhaohui ''The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants'' (忠烈俠義傳), also known by its 1883 reprint title ''The Three Heroes and Five Gallants'' (三俠五義), is an 1879 Chinese novel based on storyteller Shi Yukun's oral performances. The n ...

to visit the Ding Family Village. There he tries

sword dancing Sword dances are recorded throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock-battle (Pyrrhic) sword dances from Africa, Asia and Europe. General types of sword dance include: *solo dancers around swords – such as t ...

with a famous sword from the village, Zhanlu, and remarks that Zhanlu is much lighter than his own sword, Juque. Outraged, the younger cousin Ding Yuehua challenges Zhan to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

as she is Zhanlu's owner. Zhan is very impressed with Ding Yuehua's skills and admits defeat when she cuts off his

bandanna A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvrechief'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana, bandanna, or "Wild Rag" (in cowboy culture), is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the Human head, head, face or neck for protective or decor ...

. However,

Ding Zhaolan ''The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants'' (忠烈俠義傳), also known by its 1883 reprint title ''The Three Heroes and Five Gallants'' (三俠五義), is an 1879 Chinese novel based on storyteller Shi Yukun's oral performances. The n ...

notices that Zhan has actually cut off Ding Yuehua's

earring An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations an ...

which is much more difficult. With the blessings of the entire Ding family, Zhan and Ding Yuehua exchange swords as

engagement An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

gifts.

Dueling with Bai Yutang

Zhan Zhao learns that

Bai Yutang Bai Yutang, nicknamed "Sleek Rat" or "Brocade-Coated Rat" (錦毛鼠), is a fictional Song dynasty knight-errant from the 19th-century Chinese novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants''. Handsome, brave, clever and charismatic, Bai Yutang is ...

is in the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

looking to challenge him, as a result of him getting the nickname "Royal Cat" from Emperor Renzong. While Zhan talks about it in the

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 ...

court, Zhao Hu makes a comment that Bai is not to be feared. As soon as Zhao finishes the sentence, someone listening to the conversation outside throws something that breaks the wine cup Zhao has in hand. Zhan quickly goes outside and engages in a battle with this man in the night. Zhan is impressed with Bai's agility and feels his anger. He also gets serious and breaks Bai's sabre. Zhan pursues Bai, but Bai throws a stone, knocking off Zhan's

and manages to escape.

Being Captured by Bai Yutang

steals three treasures and leaves a note specifically challenging Zhan Zhao to follow him to Hollow Island. Jiang Ping and

Gongsun Ce Gongsun Ce is a fictional character in the Chinese novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants''. Highly intelligent and very familiar with traditional Chinese medicine, he was an able assistant to the upright official Bao Zheng. Background Profi ...

suggest that Zhan wait until

Han Zhang Han Zhang is a fictional Song dynasty knight-errant from the 19th-century Chinese novels ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants'' and ''The Five Younger Gallants''. Nicknamed "Earth Rat" or "Earth-Piercing Rat" () for his expertise in land mines ...

is found. However, Zhan gets impatient and goes to Hollow Island by himself. The guards at Hollow Island would not open the gate and provoke him. Angry, Zhan climbs the wall at night and finds Bai's place well-lit. He goes inside, and after passing through a few rooms, steps on a spring-lock and falls in a trap. On the third day of his imprisonment he is saved by

and gets the three treasures back.

Career

He was the royal guard of the palace. He was assigned to work together with

who was a governor of

city, the capital city of Northern Song. He was a very honest person who was good at martial arts. In his life he was known for serving

even more than being a royal guard of the imperial court. Zhan Zhao was best known for his martial art skills. He was the body guard of

and the fourth ranking royal guard of the Song's Royal Palace. His title was "The Royal Cat" (御猫, yùmāo). He was the only man who was allowed to enter the Inner Palace armed. People said that he represented the Wu (martial) aspect while

represented the Wen (civil) aspect. He was also the leader of Bao Zheng's guards, namely Wang Chao (王朝), Ma Han (馬漢),

Zhang Long Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

(張龍) and Zhao Hu (趙虎). Before Zhan Zhao became a royal guard, he was just a man traveling around the land. He was trained with high power martial art. There was one time that he fought against "The Five Rats" who each had a special power, specializing in water and others underground. Zhan Zhao was once ordered to catch Bai Yutang who was one of the "Five Rats". He invaded their island in order to fight against the five rats. He was able to defeat all of them. Of the Five Rats, Bai Yutang was the best among them and the youngest brother of Five Rats.

Media Adaptations

Justice Bao (1993 TV Series)

One of the most well-known media adaptations of Zhan Zhao is the 1993, 236-episode Justice Bao television series. Zhan Zhao, played by Hong Kong actor

Kenny Ho Kenny Ho Kar-king (born 29 December 1959) is a Hong Kong actor and Cantopop/Mandopop singer. He was best known for his role as Zhan Zhao in the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese television series '' Justice Bao'' from 1993 to 2012, and is also known ...

, is portrayed as a righteous, yet gentle and kind knight-errant who assists

, often taking on roles such as Bao's personal body guard, policeman, and detective. Zhan Zhao's signature garments of the red robe is especially memorable for many, and is often repeated by other television adaptations following this one. It is also because of the red robe appearance that fans describe Kenny Ho's version of Zhan Zhao using these lines: 青锋昭律义红袍展仁心, "the sword that serves justice, the red robe that displays a kind heart," thus incorporating Zhan Zhao's name (), his personalities, and appearance.

Justice Pao (1995 TV Series)

Following the popular 1993 TV series is this 80-episode series produced by Television Broadcast Limited. Zhan Zhao, played by Hong Kong actor

Felix Wong Felix Wong Yat-wah (born September 4, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and singer best known for his performances in many ''wuxia'' television series produced by Television Broadcasts Limited, TVB, such as ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983 TV seri ...

, once again wears his signature red robe. This version of Zhan Zhao is similarly portrayed as the righteous and sympathetic paladin who aids Bao Zheng in his criminal cases.

Three Heroes and Five Gallants (2016 TV Series)

A new adaptation of Shi Yukun's

produced by

Huayi Brothers Huayi Brothers Media Corp. () is a Chinese multinational entertainment company that owns a film studio, a television production company, a talent agency, a record label, and a movie theater chain founded in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Maca ...

and Tianxing Yiyuan Entertainment (), with actor

Yan Yikuan Yan Yikuan (Chinese: 严屹宽; born 24 January 1979), formerly known as Yan Kuan (Chinese: 严宽) and also known as Kevin Yan, is a Chinese actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Taiji Prodigy'' (2002), ''T ...

playing Zhan Zhao / Shen Zhongyuan. Zhan Zhao is again portrayed as a righteous and clever hero who takes on the persona of Shen Zhongyuan in order to spy on enemies of the people and to complete missions assigned to him by Bao Zheng. It also allows him to team together with the Five Rats.

Justice Bao: The First Year (2019 TV Series)

References

*Bao Qingtian. Zhan Zhao VS Five Rats. Jin Chaoqun, Kenny Ho. CTS, 1994. {{Justice Bao, state=expanded The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants characters Fictional characters from Jiangsu Literary characters introduced in 1879