Zheng Tianshou
| Zheng Tianshou | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Fair Skinned Gentleman" 白面郎君 |
| Rank | 74th, Different Star (地異星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Infantry leader of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader from Mount Qingfeng |
| Hometown | Suzhou, Jiangsu |
| First appearance | Chapter 32 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 郑天寿 |
| Traditional Chinese | 鄭天壽 |
| Pinyin | Zhèng Tiānshòu |
| Wade–Giles | Cheng T'ien-shou |
Zheng Tianshou is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 74th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 38th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Fair Skinned Gentleman".
Background
The Water Margin describes Zheng Tianshou as a handsome man with a fair complexion, a lean build and broad shoulders. His appearance earns him the nickname "Fair Skinned Gentleman". A native of Suzhou, Zheng Tianshou has been practising martial arts since he was a child. He roams the land freely and befriends other heroes.
Zheng Tianshou passes by Mount Qingfeng one day and the bandits there attempt to rob him. Zheng Tianshou fights with the bandit leader Wang Ying and neither emerges as the victor after many rounds of fighting. The chief bandit Yan Shun is impressed with Zheng Tianshou's skill and invites Zheng to join his gang and Zheng agrees.
Joining Liangshan
Song Jiang passes by Mount Qingfeng on his way to Qingfeng Fort and is captured by the bandits. The bandits intend to kill him and make soup from his liver and heart. Song Jiang sighs loudly, "Am I, Song Jiang, destined to die just like that?" The bandit leaders overhear Song Jiang's words and are stunned. They recognise him as the famous philanthropist and apologise to him and release him immediately. Song Jiang becomes friends with the Qingfeng bandits and enjoys their hospitality before leaving for Qingfeng Fort.
Earlier on, Wang Ying captured the wife of Liu Gao, the official in charge of Qingfeng Fort, and wanted to rape her. Song Jiang managed to persuade Wang Ying to release her. Later, Liu Gao's wife repays Song Jiang's kindness with evil and she accuses Song of attempting to rape her. Liu Gao is furious and he has Song Jiang arrested and imprisoned. Hua Rong tries to save Song Jiang but is captured as well after being tricked by Huang Xin. Huang Xin and his men escort Song Jiang and Hua Rong as prisoners back to Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong). Along the way, the bandits from Mount Qingfeng ambush and attack the convoy and succeed in rescuing the captives. Zheng Tianshou follows the outlaws back to Liangshan Marsh after the battle of Qingfeng Fort.
Campaigns and death
Zheng Tianshou becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He is killed in action at the battle of Muzhou during the Fang La campaign.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 149. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China. KOEI, 1989.