Rebels and Rebellion in Classic Chinese Literature · Global Voices
<PERSON> drawing (1798-1861) of <PERSON>, a rebel from “Water Margin”. Public domain image from Creative Commons.
As China prepares to remove the two-term limit on the presidency from its constitution, there is speculation as to whether the country is going to return to the era of dynasties, where the empire was ruled by powerful families.
The authoritarian nature of dynasties has led to a common stereotype of Chinese people as obedient and submissive. This stereotype fails to account for the fact that while much of China's history has been dominated by dynastic cycle, this cycle was in fact punctuated by the overthrowing of powerful emperors by popular revolutions or military coups which ended up with the country in chaos before another dynasty was established.
The first civil revolution recorded in China’s history took place in 221 BC. <PERSON>, who served as a minor patrol officer and led the revolution, went on to found the Han dynasty. <PERSON> was not the only civilian emperor. The founder of the Ming dynasty, <PERSON>, also came from a poor peasant family. <PERSON>, the most famous empress in Chinese history, was the daughter of a businessman and married into the royal family as a concubine.
The rebellious spirit of the knights-errant
In other words, the history of dynasties in China is also a history of rebellions, and that rebellious spirit is embodied in classic Chinese literature in the spirit of the knight-errant. Among the literary figures who embraced the rebellious spirit are <PERSON> and <PERSON>.
<PERSON> was a historian of the early Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). He dedicated a chapter of his famous “Records of the Grand Historian” to the knights-errant, whom he described as civilians trustworthy for their promises, fast to act in response to people’s needs and possessing their own system of justice. 341
He expressed admiration for the knights-errant even when they acted against the law, because they adhered to the form of justice endorsed by the common people.
<PERSON> drawing (1140-1210) of <PERSON>, the genius poet. Public domain image from Creative Commons.
<PERSON> was a poet widely acclaimed as a genius, and also a self-described knight-errant. He served the emperor for a short period, but spent most of his time wandering around and making friends. In his famous poem (a drinking song), “Bring in the wine”, he expressed his love of freedom and friendship and looked down on money and the societal status quo.
When we are happy,
Shan't we fully enjoy ourselves?
Drink up the golden chalices, my friends
[Bring in the wine]
Never let them empty to the moon
Life has its own meaning
[So never worry about money]
No matter how much I spend [on the wine]
It will eventually come back to me[…]
A luxury life is not my dream
My dream is to drink and drink and never wake up
All men of virtue are lonely
Only the drinkers are remembered
Film director <PERSON>’s award-winning film, ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ is categorized in the west as belonging to the martial arts genre. In the Chinese-speaking world, however, it is considered a ‘Wu-Xia’ film—‘wu’ meaning the martial arts or Kung Fu, and ‘xia’ referring to the spirit of the knights-errant. Bearing this in mind, the film can be enjoyed from a cultural perspective as well as for its fantastic displays of martial arts.
It is believed that the Chinese dynastic emperors had absolute power, but this was not, in fact, the case. The Chinese emperors did rule based on the will of God, but ‘God’ is a vague idea in China, which has never had a single national religion.
This idea is also contained in the Chinese proverb, “water holds up the boat, and water sinks the boat,” which is taken from an important historical document. The “boat” in the proverb is referred to the emperor, and “water” is referred to the people. When the emperor lost the people’s hearts, the proverb says, the knights-errant trusted by the people could rise up in rebellion.
Rebels from Classic Chinese Literature
China's most famous rebellion novel is “Water Margin”, or ‘Outlaws of the Marsh’, attributed to <PERSON>. It tells the story of 108 rebels, including 3 women, from different backgrounds who gather in Mount Liang to confront the corrupt government. 356