Yang Chun
| Yang Chun | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 2 |
| Nickname | "White Flower Serpent" 白花蛇 |
| Rank | 73rd, Latent Star (地隱星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Tiger Cub Scouting General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader from Mount Shaohua |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Jieliang, Puzhou (present-day Jiezhou Town, Yanhu District, Yuncheng, Shanxi) |
| Weapon | Sabre |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 杨春 |
| Traditional Chinese | 楊春 |
| Pinyin | Yáng Chūn |
| Wade–Giles | Yang Ch'un |
Yang Chun is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. He ranks 73rd among the 108 Liangshan heroes and 37th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "White Flower Serpent".
Background
Slender in figure with his arms long and skinny, Yang Chun is nicknamed "White Flower Serpent" due to his appearance. He is a good fighter who uses a long sabre.
Originally from Jieliang (解良; in present-day Yuncheng, Shanxi), Yang Chun leads a band of outlaws at Mount Shaohua (少華山; southeast of present-day Hua County, Shaanxi), taking the third position after Zhu Wu and Chen Da. Whenever their food stock runs low, the three would plunder the nearby counties and villages.
Befriending Shi Jin
One day Chen Da goes to raid the well-stocked Huayin County for food dismissing objection from Zhu Wu, who fears he would be blocked on the way by the formidable fighter Shi Jin. As foreseen by Zhu, Chen is captured by Shi when he tries to get through the Shi Family Village.
Yang Chun believes fighting it out with Shi Jin is the only way to save Chen Da. But Zhu Wu believes a psychological tactic might work. So the two go to Shi to plead to be arrested so as to fulfil their oath of dying together. Moved by their bond, Shi Jin frees Chen Da and befriends the three. From then on, the two sides often exchange gifts and visit each other for drink.
One day a hunter stumbles upon a reply letter from the bandits accepting Shi Jin's invitation to attend a feast at his house. The matter is reported to the authorities, which send an arrest party to Shi's house on the night of the gathering. Finding his manor besieged, Shi Jin burns it down and fights his way out with the bandit chiefs. They get to Mount Shaohua safely, where Shi Jin by and by becomes the chief.
Joining Liangshan
Shi Jin tries to save a woman abducted by Governor He of Hua Prefecture, or Huazhou, but falls into the latter's trap and is captured. Lu Zhishen, who has come to invite Shi Jin to join the Liangshan Marsh, tries to rescue him but also falls into He's ambush. The Mount Shaohua outlaws turn to Liangshan for help. Arriving at Huazhou, the Liangshan men lure He out of the city and kill him. After Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen are saved, the Mount Shaohua bandits, including Yang Chun, are absorbed into Liangshan.
Campaigns
Yang Chun is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.
In the attack on Yuling Pass (昱嶺關; near present-day Zhupu Village, She County, Anhui) in the campaign against Fang La, Yang Chun, Chen Da, Shi Jin and another three Liangshan heroes face the enemy general Pang Wanchun. As the two sides clash, Pang fatally shoots Shi Jin while his archers take the lives of Yang Chun and the rest.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Miyazaki, Ichisada (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 147. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, p. 97
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.