Duan Jingzhu 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 ...

'', 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 ...

of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Golden Haired Hound", he ranks 108th 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 ...

and 72nd among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

The novel depicts Duan Jingzhu as having red hair and a yellow beard, which earns him the nickname "Golden Haired Dog". A native of

Zhuozhou Zhuozhou (), is a county-level city with 628,000 inhabitants in Hebei province, bordering Beijing to the north. It is administered by Baoding prefecture-level city. Zhuozhou has 3 subdistricts, 6 towns, 5 townships, and 1 development zone. Adm ...

, he rustles horses for a living on the northern frontier of the

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 repetit ...

Empire.

Joining Liangshan

One day Duan Jingzhu steals a precious swift steed called "Jade Lion" () which belongs to a Jurchen prince. He intends to present it 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 ...

, then the second-in-command of

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 ...

, as his ticket to join the band. But on the way, he is intercepted by men from the Zeng Family Fortress, who snatch away the horse. They also mock Liangshan when he tells them the horse is meant for the stronghold. Duan Jingzhu darts out to kneel before Song Jiang when the latter is riding back to Liangshan with his men after a battle at

Mount Mangdang Mount Mangdang ( zh, s=芒砀山, t=芒碭山) is a hill in Yongcheng, Henan, China, best known for being the spot where the Emperor Gaozu of Han started his rebellion against the Qin dynasty. History The region near Mount Mangdang played an imp ...

with

Fan Rui Fan Rui is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos", he ranks 61st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 25th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background F ...

. Impressed with Duan's looks, Song accepts him into his band. When Duan recounts the insults of the Zeng Family Fortress,

Chao Gai Chao Gai, nicknamed "Pagoda-Shifting Heavenly King", is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is not one of the 108 Stars of Destiny because he dies before the Grand Assembly o ...

, the chief of Liangshan, is mad with rage and decides to personally lead a force to attack the Zengs. For the first time Chao commands a military expedition of Liangshan in place of Song Jiang. However, the attack ends in disaster as Chao is shot dead by Shi Wengong, the martial arts instructor of the fortress. After some distractions, the outlaws eventually turn their attention to the Zeng Family Fortress. They capture Shi and avenge Chao's death.

Campaigns and death

Duan Jingzhu is appointed as one of the scout leaders of Liangshan after the

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

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. In the attack on the Qiantang River in 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 ...

, Duan Jingzhu, who is in the squad of

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 ...

and a non-swimmer, drowns when his boat overturns after being swept into the open sea by strong winds.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duan, Jingzhu 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Hebei