Bao Zheng
Justice Bao( Bao Thanh Thiên;pinyin:Bāo qīngtiān) Bao Zheng | |
|---|---|
Bao Chửng | |
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 999 Shenxian,Hefei,Luzhou,Northern Song |
| Died | 3 July 1062(aged 63) Kaifeng,Northern Song |
| Resting place | Baogong Cemetery,Luyang District,Hefei,Anhui,China 31°51′27.17″N117°17′56.39″E/ 31.8575472°N 117.2989972°E |
| Spouses |
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| Domestic partner | Lady Sun ( Tôn thị ) |
| Children | |
| Parent |
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| Education | Jinshi |
| Occupation | Politician & Imperial General Inspector |
| Known for | Chinese cultural personification of justice |
| Full name | Surname:Bāo (Bao) Given name:Zhěng (Cứu) Courtesy name:Xīrén (HiNhân) Posthumous name:Xiàosù (HiếuTúc) |
| Other names |
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| Chinese | BaoCứu | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bao Zheng(Bao Chửng;Bāo Zhěng;5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known asBao Gong(Bao Công;Bāo Gōng;'Lord Bao'), was a Chinese politician during the reign of EmperorRenzongin China'sSong Dynasty.During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao was known for his honesty and uprightness, with actions such as impeaching an uncle of Emperor Renzong's favourite concubine and punishing powerful families. His appointment from 1057 to 1058 as theprefectof Song'scapitalKaifeng,where he initiated a number of changes to better hear the grievances of the people, made him a legendary figure. During his years in office, he gained the honorific titleJustice Bao(Chinese:Bao Thanh Thiên;pinyin:Bāo qīngtiān) due to his ability to defend peasants and commoners against corruption or injustice. Bao Zheng is depicted as the incarnation of the Astral God of Civil Arts (Wenqu xing, Văn Khúc Tinh ), while another protagonist — famous Northern Song warriorDi Qingas the Astral God of Military Arts (Wuqu xing, Võ Khúc Tinh ).[1]
Bao Zheng today is honored as the cultural symbol of justice in Chinese society. His largely fictionalizedgong'anandwuxiastories have appeared in a variety of different literary and dramatic mediums (beginning withThe Seven Heroes and Five Gallants), and have enjoyed sustained popularity. In mainstream Chinese mythology, he is often portrayed wearing a judge'szhanjiao futou hatand acrescent moonon his forehead. Some Chinese provinces later deified Judge Bao, equating him to the benevolent war godGuan Gong.
Early life
[edit]Bao Zheng was born into a scholar family inShenxian(Thận huyện),Hefei,Luzhou(present-dayFeidong CountynearHefei,Anhui).[2]Bao's family was in themiddle class,his father Bao Lingyi (Bao lệnh nghi) was a scholar and an official, while his grandfather Bao Shi Tong (Bao sĩ thông) was a commoner. Though Bao's parents could afford to send him to school, his mother had to climb up mountains to collect firewood just before she gave birth to him.[3]As Bao grew up among low working class, he well understood people's hardships, hated corruption and strongly desired for justice.[3]
At the age of 29,[4]Bao passed the highest-levelimperial examinationand became qualified as aJinshi.Bao was appointed asmagistrateofJianchang County,but he deferred embarking on his official career for a decade in order to care for his elderly parents and faithfully observe proper mourning rites after their deaths.[3]
During the time Bao looked after his parents at home, Liu Yun (Lưu uân), Magistrate of Luzhou who was renowned as an excellent poetic and fair-minded officer, usually visited Bao. Because the two got along well, Bao obtained great influence from Liu Yun in respect of the love for people.[3]
As magistrate of Tianchang
[edit]After the passing of his parents, Bao Zheng, then 39, was appointedmagistrateofTianchangCounty not far from his hometown.[3]It was here that Bao first established his reputation as an astute judge. According to an anecdote, a man once reported that his ox's tongue had been sliced out. Bao told him to return and slaughter the ox for sale. Soon another man arrived in court and accused the first man of privately slaughtering a "beast of burden", an offense punishable by a year of penal servitude.[5]Bao bellowed: "Why did you cut his ox's tongue and then accuse him?" In shock, the culprit had to confess.[2]
As prefect of Duanzhou
[edit]In 1040, Bao Zheng was promoted to the prefect ofDuanzhou(modernZhaoqing) in the south, a prefecture famous for its high-qualityinkstones,a certain number of which were presented annually to the imperial court. However, Bao discovered that previous prefects had collected far more inkstones from manufacturers than the required tribute—several dozens of times more—in order to bribe influential ministers with the extras. Bao abolished the practice by telling manufacturers to fill only the required quota.[6]
When his tenure was up in 1043, Bao left without a single inkstone in his possession.[2]It was in Duanzhou that he wrote this poem:
| ThanhTâmVìTrịBổn(qīng xīn wèi zhì běn) | The essence of governing is to have a cleansed heart, | |
| ThẳngNóiLàThânMưu(zhí dào shì shēn móu) | The strategy of life is to follow upright ways. | |
| TúLàmChungThànhĐống(xiù gàn zhōng chéng dòng) | An elegant stem will eventually turn into a pillar, | |
| TinhMới vừaKhôngLàmCâu(jīng gāng bú zuò gōu) | Refined steel cannot be bent into a hook. | |
| ThươngSungChuộtTướcHỉ(cāng chōng shǔ què xǐ) | Rats and sparrows overjoy when the granary is full, | |
| ThảoTẫnThỏHồSầu(cǎo jǐn tù hú chóu) | Rabbits and foxes worry when the grassland dies. | |
| SửSáchCóDiHuấn(shǐ cè yǒu yí xùn) | History books contain teachings by those deceased: | |
| ChớDiTớiGiảXấu hổ(wú yí lái zhě xiū) | Don't leave your descendants with only embarrassment! |
As investigating censor
[edit]
Bao Zheng returned to the capital and was named aninvestigating censorin 1044. For the next two years in this position, Bao submitted at least 13 memoranda toEmperor Renzong of Songon military, taxation, the examination system, and governmental dishonesty and incompetence.
In 1045, Bao was sent to theLiao dynastyas a messenger. During an audience, a Liao official accused the Song of violating the peace by installing a secret side door in the border prefecture ofXiongzhou,so as to solicit defectors from Liao for intelligence. Bao retorted: "Why is a side door required for intelligence?"[7]The Liao subject could not respond.[2]
In the following years, Bao held the following positions:
- Fiscal commissionerofHebei
- Vice Director of Ministry of Justice
- Auxiliary in the Academy of Scholarly Worthies (Thẳng tập hiền viện)
- Vice Commissioner of Ministry of Revenue
Impeaching Zhang Yaozuo
[edit]Emperor Renzong's favourite consort had beenConcubine Zhang,whom he had wanted to make empress but could not because of opposition by his (unknown to him, fake) mother,Empress Dowager Liu.[8]Nevertheless, the concubine's uncle Zhang Yaozuo (Trương Nghiêu tá) was quickly promoted within a few years from minor local posts to high office, including the state finance commissioner (Tam tư sử).[9]On July 12, 1050, Bao and two other censors together presented a memorandum, which in strong language accused Zhang of mediocrity and shamelessness, even attributing natural disasters to his appointments. Probably annoyed, Emperor Renzong not only did nothing to Zhang Yaozuo, he awarded Consort Zhang's sister with a title four days later. But Bao did not give up. In another memorandum submitted by himself alone, he wrote:[10]
In all dynasties, family members of imperial consorts, even when talented, were not appointed office, to say nothing of a mediocre, talentless one... In prostration, your subject saw our nation-dynasty since its founders had always carefully selected intelligent ministers for appointments, even at times of overflowing treasuries... The current (financial) state is dire and dangerous from all directions, how could this man be appointed to that post and hold on to it, dashing the world's hopes and neglecting the world's matters? Your subject really and painfully feels sorry for your majesty.
Partly to appease protests by Bao and others, the emperor relieved Zhang Yaozuo as state finance commissioner, but instead appointed him a concurrent four-commission position: commissioner of palace attendants,military commissionerofHuainan,Qunmu military commissioner-in-chief (Đàn mục chế trí sử), and commissioner of Jingling Palace (Cảnh linh cung). In a memorandum dated December 26, Bao voiced his strong protest and wrote:[11]
The situation right now is, if your majesty is determined to appoint Yaozuo, then expel this advisor; if your majesty is to listen to this advisor, then (your majesty) must remove Yaozuo.
In the next court meeting to confirm Yaozuo's appointments, there was a heated argument in court led by seven ministers including Bao, which resulted in the emperor deciding to strip the commission of palace attendants and commission of Jingling palace from Zhang's promotion.[11]
A few decades later, Zhu Bian ( chu biện, 1085–1144) wrote a humorous account in hisAnecdotes from Quwei(Khúc vị chuyện cũ),[12]which probably contributed to the development of future legends:
One day, when the emperor was about to hold audience, Wencheng (Concubine Zhang'sposthumous name) sent him off all the way to the door of the palace court, caressed his back and said: "My husband, don't forget, commissioner of palace attendant today." The emperor said, "OK, OK." When he issued his edict, Bao Zheng asked to speak. Bao spoke at length on reasons to oppose, spoke hundreds of sentences repeatedly, his voice so loud and agitated that spittle spattered the emperor's face. The emperor, to stop him, gave up (on the edict). Wencheng,... on receiving (the emperor), bowed and gave thanks. The emperor, wiping his face with his sleeve, said: "... All you know is ask for commissioner of palace attendant, commissioner of palace attendant. Don't you know that Bao Zheng is the vice censor-in-chief?"
During his years in the government service, Bao had thirty high officials demoted or dismissed for corruption, bribery, or dereliction of duty. In addition, as theimperial censor,Bao avoided punishment despite many other contemporary imperial censors having been punished for minor statements.[3]
As prefect of Kaifeng
[edit]
In 1057, Bao was appointed the magistrate of the capital city of Bian (present dayKaifeng).[4]Bao held the position for only one year, but he initiated several material administrative reforms, including allowing the citizens to directly lodge complaints with the city administrators, thereby bypassing the city clerks who were believed to be corrupt and in the pay of local powerful families.[13]
Bao had also been theMinister of Finance.[14]Despite his high rank in the government, Bao led a modest life like acommoner.[citation needed]
Apart from his intolerance of injustice and corruption, Bao was well known for hisfilial pietyand his stern demeanor. In his lifetime, Bao gained the name "Iron-Faced Judge" (Thiết Diện Phán Quan) and it was also said among the public that his smile was "rarer than clear waters in theYellow River".[15]
Due to his fame and the strength of his reputation, Bao's name became synonymous with the idealized "honest and upright official" (Thanh quan), and quickly became a popular subject of early vernacular drama and literature. Bao was also associated with the godYanluo(Yama) and the "Infernal Bureaucracy" of the Eastern Marchmount, on account of his supposed ability to judge affairs in the afterlife as well as he judged them in the realm of the living.[16]
Family
[edit]Bao Zheng had two wives, Lady Zhang (Trương thị) and Lady Dong (Đổng thị). Bao had one son,Bao Yi,born 1033, and two daughters with Lady Dong. His only son Bao Yi died in 1053 at a relatively young age while being a government officer, two years after his marriage to Lady Cui (Thôi thị). Bao Yi's son, Bao Wenfu (Bao văn phụ), died prematurely at the age of five.[13]
However, when a young maid Lady Sun (Tôn thị) in Bao Zheng's family became pregnant, Bao dismissed her back to her hometown. Lady Cui, Bao Yi's wife, knowing that the maid was pregnant with her father-in-law's child, continued to send money and clothing to her home. Upon the birth of Lady Sun's son named Bao Yan ( bao 𫄧) (1057 - 1105), Lady Cui secretly brought him to her house to foster him. The following year, she brought him back to his biological father, thus enabling the continuation of Bao's family line. Bao Zheng and his wife rejoiced, and they renamed their new son asBao Shou.[13]
Bao Yi's wife Lady Cui was greatly praised in the official sources for her devotion to the protection of family line.[13]This story was very influential to the formation of the legend that Bao Zheng was raised by his elder sister-in-law, whom he called "sister-in-law mother" (Tẩu nương).[13]
Death
[edit]Bao died in the Capital City of Kaifeng (present dayKaifeng,Henan) in 1062. It was recorded that he left the following warning for his family:
Any of my descendants who commitsbriberyas an official shall not be allowed back home nor buried in the family burial site. He who shares not my values is not my descendant.[2]
Bao was buried in Da xing ji in 1063. His tomb was rebuilt by officials of the Huaixi Road in 1066. Lady Dong died in 1068 and was buried next to him.
Remains
[edit]Cultural Revolution period
[edit]During theCultural Revolution,the Baogong Temple in Baohe Park of Hefei City was looted, and the Bao Zheng statue was ruined. The Bao Zheng portraits preserved by the generations of his descendants and the Baoshi Genealogy (Bao thị gia phả) were burned.
The relevant personnel set up a relic rescue effort "Bao Cemetery Clearing and Excavation Leading Group" (Bao Công mộ rửa sạch khai quật lãnh đạo tiểu tổ) to excavate and clean up the cemetery. They unearthed Bao Zheng's remains and the two newly discovered tombstones with Chinese engravings in forms of (Tống xu mật phó sử tặng lễ bộ thượng thư hiếu túc Bao Công mộ minh) and (Tống cố vĩnh khang quận phu nhân Đổng thị mộ chí minh). It was found that the tombstones of Bao Zheng and Lady Dong had been displaced due to destruction. In addition, the tomb of the eldest son and his wife, the tomb of the second son and his wife, and the tomb of the grandson Bao Yongnian (Bao vĩnh năm) were also excavated and cleaned up. The excavation group handed back the remains of Bao Zheng and his family to their descendants.
One day in August 1973, the remains of Bao Zheng and his family were carried out in 11 wooden coffin boxes and transported back to Dabaocun (Đại bao thôn), the hometown of Bao Zheng. However, the local commune secretary there would not allow their ancestors' remains to be buried on the grounds, otherwise they would be destroyed immediately.
Bao Zheng's descendants, in fear that the remains of Bao Zheng and his family would be destroyed, with the help of a fellow 34th generation descendant Bao Zunyuan (Bao tuân nguyên), secretly hid them elsewhere without knowing what to do. The remains, consisting of 34 Bao Zheng's bone fragments, would later be sent toBeijingfor forensics research before they were returned to the newly reconstructed cemetery.
Reconstructed cemetery
[edit]
The Bao Gong Cemetery (Bao Công mộ viên) was reconstructed next to the Bao Gong Temple in Hefei in the forested area ofAnhuiin 1985 and was completed in 1987 to preserve the remains of Bao Zheng and artifacts from the former tombs. The exact location of Bao Zheng and his family's remains however is unknown, known only to his descendants.[17]
Notable descendants
[edit]- 8th generation:Bao Xun
- 9th generation:Bao Hui
- 27th generation: Bao Fang Wu ( bao phương vụ )
- 28th generation:Pao Siu Loong
- 29th generation:Yue-Kong Pao,Yue-Shu Pao,Pao Teh-ming
- 30th generation:Anna Pao Sohmen,Bessie Pao Woo,Cissy Pao-Watari,Doreen Pao
- 32nd generation:Bao Zhenming
- 33rd generation: Bao Huacheng ( bao hoa thành ), Bao Huazhang ( bao thơ văn hoa mỹ ), Bao Huabing ( bao hoa binh ), Bao Huajun ( bao hoa quân ), Bao Huaxiu ( bao hoa tú ), Bao Shengdong ( bao thắng đông ),Run Bao,Anthony Bao,Tino Bao
- 34th generation:Bao Tingzheng,Bao Xi ( bao tỉ ), Bao Dan ( bao đan ), Bao Huifang ( bao tuệ phương ), Bao Yong ( bao dũng ), Bao Zunyuan ( bao tuân nguyên ),Bao Zunxin
Legends
[edit]Literary traditions
[edit]
Bao Zheng's stories were retold and preserved particularly in the form ofperformance artssuch asChinese operaandpingshu.Written forms of his legend appeared in theYuan Dynastyin the form ofQu.Vernacular fiction of Judge Bao was popular in theMingandQing Dynasties.A common protagonist ofgong'an fiction,Judge Bao stories revolve around Bao, a magistrate, investigating and solving criminal cases. When Sherlock Holmes was first translated into Chinese in the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese called Sherlock “the English Judge Bao.”
In theYuan Dynasty,manyplays(in the forms ofquandzaju) have featured Bao Zheng as the central character.[18][19]These plays include:
- Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Investigates the Circle of Chalk(Bao đãi chế trí khám hôi lan nhớ) byLi Qianfu
- Rescriptor Bao Thrice Investigates the Butterfly Dream(Bao đãi chế tam khám hồ điệp mộng) byGuan Hanqing,English translation can be found in Yang & Yang 1958[20]
- Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Executes Court Official Lu(Bao đãi chế trí trảm lỗ trai lang) byGuan Hanqing,English translation can be found in Yang & Yang 1958 (asThe Wife-Snatcher)[20]
- Rescriptor Bao Sells Rice at Chenzhou(Bao đãi chế Trần Châu thiếu mễ), English translation can be found in Hayden 1978[21]
- Ding-ding Dong-dong: The Ghost of the Pot(Đinh đinh đương đương bồn nhi quỷ), English translation can be found in Hayden 1978[21]
- Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Investigates the Flower of the Back Courtyard(Bao đãi chế trí khám hậu đình hoa) byZheng Tingyu,English translation can be found in Hayden 1978[21]
Also discovered from this period include some ballads which had been translated byWilt L. Idemain 2010.[22]
The 16th-century novelBao Gong Anby An Yushi (An ngộ khi) (partially translated by Leon Comber in 1964[23]) increased his popularity and added a detective element to his legends.
The 19th-century novelThe Seven Heroes and Five Gallantsby the storytellerShi Yukun(Thạch Ngọc Côn) (partially translated by Song Shouquan in 1997[24]as well as Susan Blader in 1997[25]) added awuxiatwist to his stories.
InPavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers(Vạn Hoa Lâu),Five Tigers Conquer the West(Ngũ hổ bình tây),Five Tigers Conquer the South(Ngũ hổ bình nam) andFive Tigers Conquer the North(Ngũ hổ bình bắc), four serial wuxia novels composed by Li Yutang (Lý vũ đường) during Qing Dynasty, Bao Zheng,Di QingandYang Zongbaoappear as main characters.[26]
InWhat the Master Would Not Discuss(Tử bất ngữ), a Qing DynastybijibyYuan Mei(Viên cái), Bao Zheng as well as the belief that he was able to judge affairs of both human beings and supernatural beings is featured.[27]
Stories
[edit]
Inoperaor drama, he is often portrayed with a black face and a white crescent shapedbirthmarkon his forehead.
In legends, because he was born dark-skinned and extremely ugly, Bao Zheng was consideredcursedand thrown away by his father right after birth. However, his virtuous elder sister-in-law, who just had an infant named Bao Mian (Bao Miễn), picked Bao Zheng up and raised him like her own son. As a result, Bao Zheng would refer to Bao Mian's mother as "sister-in-law mother".
In most dramatizations of his stories, he used a set ofguillotines( dao cầu, "lever-knife" ), given to him by the emperor, to execute criminals:
- The one decorated with a dog's head ( cẩu đầu trảm or khuyển đầu trảm ) was used on commoners.
- The one decorated with a tiger's head (Đầu hổ trảm) was used on government officials.
- The one decorated with adragon's head ( long đầu trảm or hỏa long trảm ) was used on royal personages.
He was granted a golden rod (Kim hoàng hạ sở) by the previous emperor, with which he was authorized to chastise the current emperor. He was also granted an imperial sword (Thượng Phương Bảo Kiếm) from the previous emperor; whenever it was exhibited to the persons surrounding, irrespective of their social classes, they must pay respect and compliance to the person exhibiting the sword as if they were the emperor (unless the person has an object of equal power). Each of Bao Zheng's guillotines were authorized to execute the corresponding social-ranked person without first obtaining approval from the emperor, though any interference from the emperor would stop the process.
He is famous for his uncompromising stance againstcorruptionamong the government officials at the time. He upheld justice and refused to yield to higher powers including the Emperor's Father-in-Law (Quốc trượng), who was also appointed as theGrand Tutor(Thái sư) and was known asGrand Tutor Pang(Bàng thái sư). He is depicted to have treated Bao as an enemy. Although Grand Tutor Pang is often depicted in myth as an archetypicalvillain(arrogant, selfish, and cruel), the historical reasons for his bitter rivalry with Bao remain unclear.
Bao Zheng also managed to remain in favour by cultivating a long-standing friendship with one ofEmperor Renzong's uncles, theEighth Imperial Prince(Bát vương gia) and Prime Minister Wang Yanling (Vương duyên linh).
In many stories Bao is usually accompanied by his skilled bodyguardZhan Zhao(Triển Chiêu) and personal secretaryGongsun Ce(Công Tôn Sách). Zhan is a skilledmartial artistwhile Gongsun is an intelligent adviser. WhenSherlock Holmeswas first translated into Chinese - Watson was compared to Gongsun Ce. There are also four enforcers named Wang Chao (Vương triều), Ma Han (Mã Hán), Zhang Long (Trương long), and Zhao Hu (Triệu Hổ). All of these characters are presented as righteous and incorruptible.
Due to his strong sense of justice, he is very popular in China, especially among the peasants and the poor. He became the subject of literature and modern Chinese TV series in which his adventures and cases are featured.
Famous cases
[edit]
All of these cases have been favorites inChinese opera.
- Executing Chen Shimei(Trảm mỹ án):Chen Shimeihad two children with wife Qin Xianglian, when he left them behind in his hometown for theImperial examinationin the capital. After placing first, he lied about his marriage and became the emperor's new brother-in-law. Years later, afamineforced Qin and her children to move to the capital, where they learned what happened to Chen. Qin finally found a way to meet Chen and begged him to help at least his own children. Not only did Chen refuse, he sent his servant Han Qi to kill them in order to hide his secret, but Han helped the family escape and killed himself. Desperate, Qin brought her case to Bao Zheng, who tricked Chen to the court to have him arrested. The imperial family intervened with threats, but Bao executed him nonetheless.
- Executing Bao Mian(Trảm Bao Miễn): When Bao Zheng was an infant, he was raised by his elder sister-in-law, Wu, like a son. Years later, Wu's only son Bao Mian became amagistrate,and was convicted ofbriberyandmalfeasance.Finding it impossible to fulfill bothConfucian conceptsofloyaltyandfilial piety,an emotional Bao Zheng was about to reluctantly execute his nephew. In the end, the real suspects were forced to confess and Bao Mian's sentence was commuted.
- Civet Cat Exchanged for Crown Prince(Li miêu đổi Thái Tử): Bao Zheng met a woman claiming to be the mother of the reigningEmperor Renzong.Dozens of years prior, she had beenConsort Li,animperial concubineofEmperor Zhenzong's, before falling out of favour for supposedly giving birth to a bloody (and dead)civet cat.In reality, the jealousConsort Liuhad plotted with eunuch Guo Huai (Quách hòe) to secretly swap Li's infant with askinnedcivet cat minutes after the birth and ordered palace maidKou Zhuto kill the baby. However, Kou gave the baby to chief eunuch Chen Lin (Trần Lâm), who secretly brought the child to theEighth Prince,a younger brother of Emperor Zhenzong. Kou was later tortured to death by Guo when Consort Liu began to suspect that the infant had survived. The child was raised by the Eighth Prince as his own son and was subsequently selected to succeed Emperor Zhenzong, who had died heirless. Due to the passage of time, gathering evidence was a challenge. With the help of a woman dressed as Kou's ghost, Bao dressed himself asYama,lord ofHell,to play on both Guo's fear of the supernatural and guilt, thereby extracting his confession. When the verdict was out, the emperor was reluctant to accept Consort Li. Bao then admonished the emperor and ordered that he be beaten forlack of filial piety.The emperor's Dragon Robe was beaten instead. Emperor Renzong eventually accepted his mother and elevated her as the newempress dowager.
- The Case of Two Nails(Song đinh nhớ): Bao Zheng investigated a man's suspicious death whose cause had been ruled asnatural.After anautopsy,hiscoronerconfirmed the earlier report that there was no injury to the whole body. At home, the coroner discussed the case with his wife, who mentioned that someone could force long steel nails into the brain without injuring the body. The next day, the coroner indeed found a long nail, and the dead man'swidowwas arrested; she confessed toadulteryandmariticide.Afterwards, Bao Zheng began to question the coroner's wife and learned that the coroner is her second husband, as her first husband had died. Bao ordered his guards to go to the cemetery and unearth her first husband's coffin. Sure enough, there was also a nail driven into theskull.
- The Case of the Black Basin(Ô bồn nhớ): A silk merchant by the name of Liu Shichang was on a trip home when he decided to ask for food and overnight lodging at the place of Zhao Da, the owner of apotterykiln. Greedy for the riches carried by Liu, Zhao killed him by poisoning his dinner, burying his remains with clay in his kiln to make a black basin in order to destroy the evidence. An old man named Zhang Biegu, whom Zhao owed a debt to, soon took the basin from Zhao in lieu of cash payment. Zhang eventually encountered the Liu'sghost,who had been possessing the basin ever since his murder, and was told the story of the latter's cruel death at Zhao's hands. Determined to bring the suspect to justice, Zhang soon brought the black basin to Bao Zheng's court in Kaifeng and after several attempts, finally persuaded Liu's ghost to tell the judge everything. As a result, Zhao was finally arrested and executed for murder.
Modern references
[edit]
Linguistic influence
[edit]In modernChinese,"Bao Gong" or "Bao Qingtian" is invoked as a metaphor or symbol of justice.[28]There is a chain of cafes sellingbaoziinSingaporecalled Bao Today (Bao Jin Tian), which is a pun on Bao Qingtian (Justice Bao).
In theThai language,Than Pao(ท่านเปา;"Lord Bao" ) has become acolloquialterm for ajudge.[29]TheRoyal Institute of Thailandrecorded the term in theDictionary ofNew Words,Volume 2,published in 2009.[30]Furthermore, the word "Pao" is used colloquially by the sports media to mean a referee in a game, especially a football match.[29]
Films
[edit]- Redressing a Grievance(Ô bồn nhớ), a 1927 Chinese silent film featuring Ling Wusi as Bao Zheng.
- The Crimson Palm(Huyết dấu tay), a 1964Shaw Brothersmusical filmfeatures Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and is about a scholar who is framed for murder by his fiancée's father.
- Inside the Forbidden City(Tống cung bí sử), a 1965Shaw Brothersmusical filmstars Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and tells the story of the "Wild Cat for Crown Prince conspiracy" case.
- The Mermaid(Cá mỹ nhân), a 1965Shaw Brothersmusical filmfeatures Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and is a fantasy about a carp spirit who is in love with a human scholar.
- King Cat(Thất Hiệp Ngũ Nghĩa), a 1967Shaw Brothersfilm features Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng.
- The Wrongly Killed Girl(Nam hiệp Triển Chiêu đại phá địa ngục môn), a 1976Hong Kongfilm stars Jen Hao as Bao Zheng and tells the Liu Jinchan murder.
- Cat and Mouse(Lão thử yêu miêu), a 2003Media Asiaromantic comedystarsAnthony Wongas Bao Zheng.
- Game of a Cat and Mouse(Bao Thanh Thiên chi ngũ thử đấu Ngự Miêu), a 2005 film starsJin Chao-chunas Bao Zheng.
- Hua Gu Di Wang(Bao Thanh Thiên chi hóa cốt đế vương), aMainland Chinafilm planned for 2013 release.
Stephen Chowalso made a spin-off movie based on Bao Zheng calledHail the Judgeand titledPale Face Bao Zheng Tingin Chinese. In the movie Chow plays a descendant of Bao Zheng called "Bao Sing" living duringQing Dynasty,whose family lost its once glorious prestige due to generations of incompetence and corruption.
Television
[edit]Some of the more prominent TV series include:
- Justice Bao(Bao Thanh Thiên), a 1974–75 series produced byCTSTVtotaling 350 episodes With English subtitles. Yi Ming portrayed Bao Zheng.
- Justice Bao(Bao Thanh Thiên), a 1993–94 series produced byCTSTVwith 41 cases totaling 236 episodes produced in one season. This would be the first series whereJin Chao-chunportrayed Bao Zheng.
- Young Justice Bao(Hiệp nghĩa Bao Công), a 1994 series produced bySBC(nowMediacorp) and starringChew Chor Mengas young Bao Zheng.
- Justice Bao(Bao Thanh Thiên), a 1995 series produced byTVBand starringTi Lungas Bao Zheng, with 16 cases totaling 80 episodes.
- Justice Bao(Tân Bao Thanh Thiên), a 1995–1996 series produced byATVand starringJin Chao-chunas Bao Zheng, with 25 cases totaling 160 episodes.
- Young Justice Bao(Thiếu niên Bao Thanh Thiên), a 2000 Mainland Chinese series starringZhou Jieas Young Bao Zheng, with 40 episodes divided into seven cases. This series is heavily inspired by mainstreamcrime fictionsuch asSherlock HolmesandDetective Conan
- Justice Bao(Bao Thanh Thiên), a 2008 Mainland Chinese series starringJin Chao-chunas Bao Zheng, with five cases totaling 61 episodes.
- Justice Bao(Bao Thanh Thiên), a 2010 Mainland Chinese series starringJin Chao-chunas Bao Zheng. The first season airing in 2010, three seasons totaling 120 episodes have been shown as of 2012.
- Justice Bao: The First Year(Bao Thanh Thiên tái khởi phong vân), a 2019 series produced byTVBand starring Shaun Tam as young Bao Zheng, totaling 30 episodes. His fatherTi Lungplayed the titular role 24 years earlier.
Novels
[edit]
Bao Zheng briefly appears in the novelIron Arm, Golden Sabreand sponsors youngZhou Tong's entry into the military as an officer.[31]
In March 2012, Frederic Lenormand, author of 18Judge Dee's New Cases(Fayard 2004–2011), published at Editions Philippe PicquierUn Thé chez Confucius(A Tea with Confucius), first novel of his new series,The Judge Bao Cases.
Video games
[edit]An unlicensedNintendoside-scrolling/platform gameforFamicom,entitledBāo Qīngtián(Chinese:Bao Thanh Thiên), also known asJustice Pao,was made inTaiwanby ex-Sachendevelopers and published by Ka Sheng in 1996.
Comics and manga
[edit]In the Marvel comic seriesNew Universal,Young Judge Bao is one of the characters in an in-universe comic book.
"Les éditions Fei" also publishes a series of French-language comics about Bao Zheng. As of August 2010, two volumes have been printed.
A 16-volume Japanese manga seriesHokusō Fūunden(Bắc Tống phong vân vân), partly adapting the 1993 TV series, was serialized in the magazinePrincess GOLD,published byAkita Shoten,from May 2000 to May 2008.
See also
[edit]- Bao Gong An
- Chinese crime fiction
- Generals of the Yang Family
- The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants
- Zhan Zhao
References
[edit]- ^Idema, Wilt Lukas (23 December 2009)."Introduction to Judge Bao and the Rule of Law: Eight Ballad-Stories from the Period 1250-1450"(PDF).Social Science Research Network.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^abcdeSong Shi,ch. 316.
- ^abcdef"Bao Zheng".China Culture. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-05-15.Retrieved2013-05-29.
- ^abKhổng phồn mẫn (Kong Fan-Min) (1986).Bao Chửng niên phổ[Annals of Bao Zheng] (in Chinese). Anhui: Huangshan Publishing House. Archived fromthe originalon 2020-07-12.Retrieved2012-02-19.
- ^Chang,p. 823.
- ^Chang,p. 824.
- ^Chang,pp. 824–825.
- ^Chiba,p. 44.
- ^Chiba,p. 45.
- ^Xu Zizhi Tong gian Changbian,ch. 168.
- ^abXu Zizhi Tong gian Changbian,ch. 169.
- ^Qu Wei Jiu Wench. 1.
- ^abcdeWilt L Idema (2010).Judge Bao and the Rule of Law.Singapore: World Scientific Publishing. p. xi–xii.ISBN9789814277013.
- ^"Bao Zheng Shi Die Shou Kai Zuo Ji".China State Finance(1): 22–24. 1960.
- ^Susan Blader (1998).Tales of Magistrate Bao and His Valiant Lieutenants.Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong.ISBN962-201-775-4.
- ^Wilt L. Idema. “The Pilgrimage to Taishan in the Dramatic Literature of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries.” Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews, Vol. 19 (Dec., 1997), pp. 23-57, p. 34
- ^"Đại Tống danh thần Bao Chửng mộ phát hiện từ đầu đến cuối".clght.Archived fromthe originalon 2020-09-05.Retrieved2018-12-28.
- ^Idema, Wilt L. (2010).Judge Bao and the Rule of Law: Eight Ballad-Stories from the Period 1250-1450.Singapore:World ScientificPublishing.
- ^West, Stephen H.; Idema, Wilt L. (2010).Monks, Bandits, Lovers, and Immortals: Eleven Early Chinese Plays.Indianapolis:Hackett Publishing Company.
- ^abYang Hsien-yi;Yang, Gladys(1958).Selected Plays of Kuan Han-Ching.Foreign Languages Press.OCLC459980671.
- ^abcHayden, George Allen (1978).Crime and Punishment in Medieval Chinese Drama: Three Judge Pao Plays.Cambridge University Press.ISBN0674176081.
- ^Idema, Wilt L. (2010).Judge Bao and the Rule of Law: Eight Ballad-Stories from the Period 1250-1450.Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company.ISBN978-9814277013.
- ^Comber, Leon (1964).The Strange Cases of Magistrate Pao: Chinese Tales of Crime and Detection.Clarendon, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Company.ISBN9810845677.
- ^Shi, Yukun; Yu, Yue; Song Shouquan (trans.) (2005).The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants.Esther Samson (ed.), Lance Samson (ed.). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.ISBN7507103587.
- ^Blader, Susan (1997).Tales of Magistrate Bao and His Valiant Lieutenants: Selections fromSanxia Wuyi.Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.ISBN9622017754.
- ^Li Yutang (1859).Vạn Hoa Lâu dương bao địch diễn nghĩa[Pavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers: The Romance of Yang, Bao and Di] (in Chinese). Beijing: Gold and Jade Publication House.
- ^Yuan Mei (2013).Zibuyu, What the Master Would Not Discuss.Paolo Santangelo and Yan Beiwen. Netherlands: BRILL.ISBN9789004216280.
- ^"Khai Phong Bao Công phủ: Chính nghĩa tượng trưng, trong sạch hoá bộ máy chính trị giáo dục căn cứ"[Kaifeng Bao Gongfu: a symbol of justice and a base for clean government education)].
- ^ab"Definition 2021 ท่านเปา".Retrieved2021-03-06.
- ^Royal Institute of Thailand (2009).พจนานุกรมคำใหม่ เล่ม 2 ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน[Royal Institute Dictionary of New Words, Volume 2](PDF)(in Thai). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. p. 60. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-08-08.Retrieved2014-06-19.
- ^Wang, Yun Heng ( uông vận hành ) and Xiao Yun Long ( tiêu vân long ).Tie Bei Jin Dao Zhou Tong Zhuan( thiết cánh tay kim đao chu đồng truyền - "Iron Arm, Golden Sabre: The Biography of Zhou Tong" ). Hangzhou: Zhe gian g People's Publishing House, 1986 (UBSN—Union Books and Serials Number) CN (10103.414) and 464574
- Chang Fu-jui (1976). "Pao Cheng". InFranke, Herbert(ed.).Sung Biographies.Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 823–832.ISBN3-515-02412-3.
- Chiba, Hiroshi (1976). "Chang Yao-tso". InFranke, Herbert(ed.).Sung Biographies.Translated byJulia Ching.Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 43–45.ISBN3-515-02412-3.
- Toqto'a;et al., eds. (1345).Song Shi( Tống sử )[History of Song] (in Chinese).
- Li Tao(1183).Xu Zizhi Tong gian Changbian( tục tư trị thông giam bản thảo sơ bộ )[Extended Continuation toZizhi Tong gian] (in Chinese).
Further reading
[edit]External links
[edit]
- "The CCP vs Bao Zheng, Patron Saint of the Petitioners"by Wang Yichi (pseudonym),Bitter Winter(March 29, 2024)
