Guan Ping

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A Qing Dynasty statue of Guan Ping (2.1 meters tall with pedestal) in the Museum of Forest of Stone Tablets in Xi'an
A Qing Dynasty statue of Guan Ping (2.1 meters tall with pedestal) in the Museum of Forest of Stone Tablets in Xi'an
Names
Simplified Chinese: 关平
Traditional Chinese: 關平
Pinyin: Guān Píng
Wade-Giles: Kuan P'ing
Zi: Unknown

Guan Ping (? – 219) was the first son of the 3rd century Chinese military general Guan Yu and elder brother of Guan Xing and Guan Suo. He also served a military post in the Kingdom of Shu during the period known as Three Kingdoms. Little about him could be found in historical records (not even his style name was documented) except that he was captured along with his father west of Maicheng (麦城, southeast of present day Dangyang, Hubei) by forces of the Kingdom of Wu in 219. Both were promptly executed.

In the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, Guan Ping was said to have been adopted by Guan Yu when he was seventeen (Chapter 28), as his true father requested to have him follow and assist the renowned general. Without a son then, Guan Yu took Guan Ping as his own.

Since the deification of Guan Yu in Sui Dynasty, Guan Ping along with Zhou Cang (周仓) (sometimes with Wang Fu and Liao Hua as well) would often appear at the sides of this revered Chinese deity in statues placed in temples and shrines. In portraits, the trio would often appear together as well. Guan Ping's face, traditionally painted white, is a stark contrast to Zhou Cang's coal black complexion.

[edit] Dynasty Warriors

Guan Ping appears in the game Dynasty Warriors 5, the latest in the series by KOEI. In it, he is portrayed as a youth living in the shadow of his famous father and tries hard to live up to Guan Yu's name and reputation. He wields a gigantic sword held in a reverse position (i.e., he holds it behind him) and while lacking in attack power and defense he is one of the faster characters in the game.

In one of the more infamous examples of KOEI's tendency to take liberties with figures from the Three Kingdoms period (even more infamous examples being their treatment of Zhang He, Sūn Cè and Xu Zhu), some of Guan Ping's cutscenes imply an attraction to Zhang Fei's daughter Xing Cai. However, in Xing Cai's story mode Guan Ping is killed along with Guan Yu, thus putting an end to any potential relationship. In Ping's own story mode, he becomes consumed with vengeance against the Kingdom of Wu, despite Xing Cai's concerns. At the end, the two simply stay as friends and swear an oath like their fathers before them, implying that Xing Cai was eventually won over by Liu Chan while Ping was out for blood.

In reality, Guan Ping was active and killed long before Xing Cai could've possibly aroused any interest in him.

In some of KOEI's comics, jokes are made about Ping's weapon of choice being an oversized knife while Xing Cai's weapon is a gigantic fork.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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