Yang Lin (Water Margin)
| Yang Lin | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
 Yang Lin as depicted in Utagawa Kuniyoshi's series of woodblock prints | |
| First appearance | Chapter 44 |
| Nickname | "Multicoloured Leopard" 錦豹子 |
| Rank | 51st, Dark Star (地暗星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Tiger Cub Scouting General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Wandering outlaw |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Zhangde Prefecture (present-day Anyang, Henan) |
| Weapon | Iron spear |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 杨林 |
| Traditional Chinese | 楊林 |
| Pinyin | Yáng Lín |
| Wade–Giles | Yang Lin |
Yang Lin is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Multicoloured Leopard", he ranks 51st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 15th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.
Background
The novel describes Yang Lin as a man with a round head, large and beautiful eyes, a straight nose, a squarish mouth, a narrow waist and broad shoulders. He is from Zhangde Prefecture (彰德府; present-day Anyang, Henan). Well-trained in combat skills, he uses an iron spear in battle. He is nicknamed "Multicoloured Leopard" because of his lithe figure and feline looks.
Joining Liangshan
Yang Lin is first introduced in the novel as a lone wanderer. At the time, Song Jiang has sent Dai Zong on a mission to find Gongsun Sheng in Jizhou (薊州; present-day Ji County, Tianjin). Yang Lin, seeing that Dai Zong is running at an unusually fast speed along a remote, narrow stretch of road, shouts out Dai Zong's name to ascertain if the man is indeed the famous "Magic Traveller". Dai Zong stops upon hearing his name and speaks to Yang Lin. After the two men introduce themselves to each other, Dai Zong invites Yang Lin to join the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh; Yang Lin accepts the invitation.
Dai Zong brings Yang Lin along in his search for Gongsun Sheng. Along the way, they pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County, Tianjin) and meet a bandit gang led by Deng Fei, Pei Xuan and Meng Kang. Yang Lin is an old friend of Deng Fei. The three bandit leaders accept Dai Zong's invitation to join the Liangshan outlaw band and later make their way to Liangshan. Dai Zong and Yang Lin later see Shi Xiu in Jizhou and intend to recruit him into Liangshan. However, their conversation is cut short when Yang Xiong shows up; Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu eventually join Liangshan on their own.
During the battle between the Liangshan outlaws and the Zhu Family Village, Yang Lin volunteers to infiltrate the village and help the outlaws capture it. He disguises himself as a Taoist priest and leaves markings on trees to guide the outlaws through the maze of pathways outside the village. However, he gets discovered by an enemy patrol and ends up being taken captive. He is freed only when the Liangshan outlaws defeat the Zhu forces and overrun the village.
Campaigns
Yang Lin becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny come together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong.
During the campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Yang Lin accompanies Mu Hong on an espionage mission in Runzhou (潤州; present-day Runzhou District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), and they succeed in their mission. After the Liangshan forces capture Hangzhou, Yang Lin falls sick and remains in the city until he recovers. As a result, he does not participate in the subsequent battles leading to Liangshan's final victory over Fang La.
After the campaigns, Yang Lin and the surviving Liangshan heroes make their way back to the imperial capital to report their victory. To honour them for their service to the Song Empire during the campaigns, Emperor Huizong awards official posts and titles to the Liangshan heroes. However, Yang Lin declines his appointment and chooses to return to Yinma River with his friend Pei Xuan.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Ichisada, Miyazaki (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. 103. 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
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.