Zou Yuan 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 "Forest Emerging Dragon", he ranks 90th 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 54th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Zou Yuan, a native of

Laizhou Laizhou, alternately romanized as Laichow, is a county-level city in the Prefecture-level city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China. As of 2008, Laizhou had a population of 902,000, out of which 188,000 are urban residents. Laizhou traditionally ...

, is skilled in martial arts. Upright and principled, he is intolerant of people he is contemptuous of. Before becoming an outlaw, he used to be a vagrant who indulged in gambling. Zou Yuan and his nephew

Zou Run Zou Run is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Single Horned Dragon", he ranks 91st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 55th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background ...

, who is about his age, lead a group of outlaws at Mount Dengyun () near

. They practise the principle of robbing the rich to help the poor. The Zous are close friends of Sun Xin and Yang Lin,

Deng Fei Deng Fei is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fiery Eyed ''Suan-ni''", he ranks 49th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 13th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgr ...

and

Shi Yong Shi Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Stone General", he ranks 99th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 63rd among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background The n ...

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 ...

Joining Liangshan

The Xie brothers ( Xie Zhen and

Xie Bao Xie Bao is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion", he ranks 35th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Back ...

) are arrested in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern

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 ...

) for smashing up the house of one Squire Mao who has pocketed the tiger they shot to claim reward at the prefectural office.

Yue He Yue He is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Whistle", he ranks 77th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 41st among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background The novel ...

, a jailer in the prison and a distant relative of the Xies, takes the news to their cousin

Gu Dasao Gu Dasao (literally "Elder Sister-in-Law Gu") is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Female Tiger", she ranks 101st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 65th among the ...

, warning that the brothers could be murdered in prison. Gu's husband Sun Xin enlists the Zous to help in the rescue. Sun Xin also compels his brother Sun Li, the garrison commandant of Dengzhou, to join the plan. After they extricated the Xies from prison, the group flee to join the

. Before going up to the stronghold, Sun Li volunteers to infiltrate the Zhu Family Manor, which Liangshan has failed to take in two offensives. As Sun Li has learnt combat from the same teacher as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the manor, he wins the confidence of the Zhus. Zou Yuan, together with Zou Run, Sun Xin, Gu Dasao, the Xie brothers and Yue He, goes on a rampage inside the manor, taking it by surprise, when Sun Li gives his signal. The fall of the Zhu Family Manor is a great contribution by the group before their acceptance into Liangshan.

Campaigns and death

Zou Yuan is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry 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. In the battle of Qingxi County (清溪縣; present-day

Chun'an County () is a Counties of China, county of Zhejiang, Zhejiang Province, East China, East China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, containing the well-known Qiandao Lake and bordering Anhui ...

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 ...

) 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 ...

's rebel forces, Zou Yuan is trampled to death by the enemy's cavalry.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zou, Yuan 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Shandong