Bao Zheng , courtesy name Xiren 希仁，posthumous title Xiaosu 孝肅 (999–1062) was a much-praised official who served during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Bao is culturally a well-respected figure in Chinese history, and is today invoked as the symbol of justice in China.
After passing the
imperial examinationThe Imperial examinations in Imperial China determined who among the population would be permitted to enter the state's bureaucracy. The Imperial Examination System in China lasted for 1300 years, from its founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its abolition near the end of the Qing Dynasty in...
in 1027, Bao deferred embarking on his official career for a decade in order to care for his elderly parents and faithfully observe proper mourning rites after their deaths.
Bao Zheng , courtesy name Xiren 希仁，posthumous title Xiaosu 孝肅 (999–1062) was a much-praised official who served during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Bao is culturally a well-respected figure in Chinese history, and is today invoked as the symbol of justice in China.
After passing the
imperial examinationThe Imperial examinations in Imperial China determined who among the population would be permitted to enter the state's bureaucracy. The Imperial Examination System in China lasted for 1300 years, from its founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its abolition near the end of the Qing Dynasty in...
in 1027, Bao deferred embarking on his official career for a decade in order to care for his elderly parents and faithfully observe proper mourning rites after their deaths. From 1037 until his death in 1062, Bao successively held several offices at court and in provincial locations. In his lifetime, Bao was renowned for his filial piety, his stern demeanor, and his intolerance of injustice and corruption. Due to his fame and the strength of his reputation, Bao's name became synonymous with the idealized "pure official" (qingguan 清官), and quickly became a popular subject of early vernacular drama and literature. Bao was also associated with the Buddhist god Yama and the "Infernal Bureaucracy" of the Eastern Marchmount, on account of his supposed ability to judge affairs in the afterlife as well as he judged them in the realm of the living. The fictionalized Bao Zheng was known variously as "Lord Bao" or "Judge Bao" , Rescriptor-in-waiting Bao , Bao of the Dragon Image , and "Blue-Sky Bao"/"Unclouded-Sky Bao" . From the middle of the Song Dynasty to the present day, the character of Judge Bao has appeared in a variety of different literary and dramatic genres, and has enjoyed a sustained popularity by audiences of all ages.
Life and career
Bao Qingtian was born into a scholar family in
HefeiHefei is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Anhui province, China...
,
AnhuiAnhui is a province of the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
province, where the Memorial Temple of Lord Bao is still located near the city center. It was built in 1066 close to his tomb. At the age of 29, he passed the highest-level imperial exams and became qualified as a Jinshi. He was a magistrate in
BianBIAN or Bian can refer to:*Kaifeng, a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China.*Bank Industry Architecture Network, a new not-for-profit organization in banking industry.*A shortened form of Rezubian...
(
KaifengKaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China...
), the capital of the
SongA song is a metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad....
dynasty.
He is famous for his uncompromising stance against
corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
among the government officials at the time. He upheld justice and refused to yield to higher powers including the Emperor's Father-in-Law , who was also appointed as the Grand Tutor and was known as Grand Tutor Pang . He treated Bao as an enemy. Although Grand Tutor Pang is often depicted in myth as an archetypical
villainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
(arrogant, selfish, and cruel), the historical reasons for his bitter rivalry with Bao remains unclear.
Bao had conflicts with other powerful members of the imperial court as well, including the Prime Minister, Song Yang. He had 30 high officials demoted or dismissed for corruption, bribery, or dereliction of duty. He also had Zhang Yaozhuo, uncle of the high-ranked imperial concubine impeached 6 times. In addition, as the imperial
censorCensorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the government or media organizations as determined by a censor.-Rationale:...
, he avoided punishment despite having many other contemporary imperial censors punished for minor statements.
Bao Zheng also managed to remain in favour by cultivating a long standing friendship with one of
Emperor RenzongEmperor Renzong was the fourth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China. His personal name was Zhao Zhen . He reigned from 1022 to 1063. Renzong was the son of Emperor Zhenzong of Song China. Despite his long reign of over 40 years, Renzong is not widely known...
's uncle, the Eighth Imperial Prince .
His burial site in Hefei contains his tomb along with the tombs of family members and a memorial temple.
In
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
or drama, he is often portrayed with a black face and a white crescent shaped birthmark on his forehead. In most dramatization of his stories, he used a set of
guillotineThe guillotine was a device used for carrying out executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which a blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the victim's head from their body...
s , given to him by the emperor, to execute criminals:
- The one decorated with a dog's head was used on commoners.
- The one decorated with a tiger's head was used on government officials.
- The one decorated with a dragon
Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
's head was used on royal personages.
He was granted a golden rod by the previous emperor which he was authorised to chastise the current emperor with. He was also granted an imperial sword from the previous emperor; whenever it was exhibited the persons surrounding, irrespective of their social classes, must pay respect and compliance to the person exhibiting as the Emperor was present thereat himself. All guillotines of Bao Zheng were authorised to execute any persons prior to reporting to the Emperor to get approval first, whilst some accounts stating the imperial sword was a license to execute any royals before so reporting; however, from both rose the idiom "kill first, report later" ).
In these works he was often helped by 12 deputies and detectives, collectively known as the "Seven Defenders and Five Righteous Men"
His name became synonymous with justice, with the clear blue sky became a popular
metaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech concisely comparing two things, saying that one is the other. The English metaphor derives from the 16th c...
to justice in the Chinese-speaking world. Due to his strong sense of justice, he is very popular in China, especially among the peasants and the poor. He became the subject of literature and modern Chinese TV series in which his adventures and cases are featured.
There are many legends and stories about Bao and his wit as both a detective and judge. Some famous examples include:
- Executing the Imperial Sister's Husband Case - The story about Bao executing Chen Shimei , who abandoned his previous wife (and later tried to have her killed) in order to marry royalty.
- Beating the Dragon Robe Case or Swapping the Imperial Son with Wild Cat Case - The story of a plot to discredit an imperial concubine by swapping her son (the new born crown prince) with a wild cat or civet
The family Viverridae is made up of 35 species, including all of the genets, the Binturong, most of the civets, and the four linsangs.Viverrids are native to most of the Old World tropics, nearly all of Africa , Madagascar, and the Iberian Peninsula...
, in which Bao disguised as Yan LuoYama the name of the Buddhist dharmapala and judge of the dead, who presides over the Buddhist Narakas , "Hells" or "Purgatories". Although ultimately based on the god Yama of the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Yama has developed different myths and different functions from the Hindu deity...
or God of the Underworld to try the eunuchA eunuch is a political rank often found in ancient courts. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures such as: courtiers or equivalent domestics, treble singers, religious specialists, government officials, military commanders, and...
Guo Huai . Guo supported Bao in front of the Emperor early in his career, making the case personally difficult for the judge. The perpetrator confessed when he thought he was in hell.
Bao's Legendary Allies
- In most of the stories, Bao is always accompanied by his trusted bodyguard Zhan Zhao
Zhan Zhao was a man who lived during the period of Northern Song in the era of Emperor Renzong. He was the royal guard of the palace. He was assigned to work together with Bao Zheng who was a governor of Kaifeng city, the capital city of Northern Song. He was a very honest person who was good at...
, a man with superhuman strength and unmatched skills in the martial arts. In some legends, he is seen as a companion and equal to Bao, as he represents the Wu (martial) aspect while Bao represents the Wen (civil) aspect, which is considered the two features of a perfect and complete person.
- Besides Zhan Zhao, Bao is often accompanied by his adviser or personal secretary, known in the stories as Gongsun Ce . Gongsun like Zhan Zhao is often portrayed as loyal and devoted to Bao's causes, in contrast to the advisers to the magistrate portrayed in most stories as usually conniving and unscrupulous characters who are masterminds of corrupt activities in the yamen
A yámen is any local bureaucrat's, or mandarin's, office and residence of the Chinese Empire. The term has been widely used in China for centuries, but appeared in English during the Qing Dynasty....
. While Zhan Zhao serves as Bao's enforcer, Gongsun is often portrayed as the intelligent and merciful advisor who helps Bao by offering him advice. The relationship between Bao and the characters of Zhan Zhao and Gongsun is very similar to that between Liu BeiLiu Bei , styled Xuándé , was a general, warlord, and later the founding emperor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China...
and Guan YuGuan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the Kingdom of Shu, of which Liu Bei was the first...
, Zhuge LiangZhuge Liang was Chancellor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
, and Zhao YunZhao Yun was a major military general during the civil wars of the late Han Dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms era of China. For most of his career, Zhao Yun served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of Shu Han...
in the Romance of the Three KingdomsRomance of the Three Kingdoms , written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.It is...
.
- Other than Zhan Zhao and Gongsun, Bao is often seen with his four enforcers (includes Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu) who are usually under the orders of Zhan Zhao, and when a hearing is in session, two of them are always on Bao's right and two of them are always on his left. Like Zhan Zhao and Gongsun, the enforcers are presented as righteous and incorruptible. This type of portrayal is often done on purpose to show the contrast of Bao's court which is from top to bottom morally upright and impartial, while corrupt officials tend to employ and associate with morally flawed characters.
Wealthy Ironmasters in Dengzhou, a memorandum to the throne
The poet and statesman
Su ShiSu Shi was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, and statesman of the Song Dynasty, and one of the major poets of the Song era. His courtesy name was Zizhan and his pseudonym was Dongpo Jushi , and he is often referred to as Su Dongpo...
(1036-1101) wrote a memorandum to the throne in 1078 of the problems facing the Chinese iron industry at Liguo Industrial Prefecture, when he served as the governor of
XuzhouXuzhou , known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is the fourth largest prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
. Su Shi wrote that of the 36 smelters each employing a workforce of several hundred persons, there was risk of
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
due to the rivaling iron industry complex in
Hebei' is a northern province of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei...
province that convinced the central court to halt Xuzhou-manufactured iron products from being shipped up north through Hebei (on top of bandits robbing the wealthy ironwork families). Much earlier though, in 1046, Bao Qingtian wrote a memorandum to the throne about the dire economic conditions of the iron industry in
DengzhouDengzhou , formerly Deng County , is a city in Nanyang, Henan, China. it has an area of 2,294 km² and a population of 1,500,000.. The urban area is 35 km², and the urban population is 300,000. The city is located in the southwest of Henan province, adjacent to the borders between Henan, Hubei and...
, and his concern for the iron industry nationwide. He wrote:
Popular Culture
- In modern Chinese
Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, "Bao Gong" or "Bao Qingtian" is invoked as a metaphor or symbol of justice.
- He appears as the main character in a Ming Dynasty Detective novel named Bao Gong An
Bao Gong An is an ancient Chinese mystery novel written by Ming Dynasty's An Yushi .-Plot summary:The Judge Bao Zheng unveiled the evil doings by reasoning, with the help of his assistant. He has dark brown skin and a moon-shaped scar on his forehead. He has four bodyguards and one personal expert....
.
- A side scrolling video game, Bao Qing Tian, was released for the Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
.
- Different TV programs about Justice Bao (包青天) were filmed in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore, such as Young Justice Bao
Young Justice Bao is a 25-episode ancient legal drama series produced by the Television Corporation of Singapore in 1994. The drama revolves around the legendary Song Dynasty jurist Bao Zheng....
. The Chinese Television SystemChinese Television System is a broadcast television station in Taiwan.-History:Founded on October 31, 1971, CTS started off as a joint venture between the ROC's Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education. At the time of its establishment, CTS was the only VHF-supported channel on...
1974/75 and 1993/94 series were popular. The TVB and ATVATV may refer to:In broadcasting:*Amateur television*Analog television*ATV , the NBC affiliate in Aruba.*ATV , Austrian TV station*ATV Home, major Cantonese-language TV station *ATV Jordan*ATV *ATV Madiun...
networks in Hong Kong both bought the 1993/94 series in an attempt to gain viewers. Competition between the two networks during the showing of the series was so severe, that identical episodes were shown on both channels on the same night. It was also one of the first dramas that used the NICAMNICAM stands for Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex. It is an early form of lossy compression for digital audio. It was originally developed in the early 1970s for point-to-point links within broadcasting networks...
technology (Dual Sound SwitchSecond[ary] audio program[ming] is an auxiliary audio channel for analog television that can be broadcast or transmitted both over the air and by cable TV. It is often used for an alternate language , or for the Descriptive Video Service offered in the U.S...
Cantonese/Mandarin). The series was so successful that it and its spin-off series ran to now and created other merchandise products related to Bao Zheng. Most of the series were pure fiction relating to Bao Zheng, especially with some Chinese fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...
thrown in. The series taught Chinese traditional values, like filial pietyIn Confucian ideals, filial piety is one of the virtues to be held above all else: a respect for the parents and ancestors. The Confucian classic Xiao Jing or Classic of Xiào, thought to be written around 470 B.C.E., has historically been the authoritative source on the Confucian tenet of xiào /...
and respecting elders. Many starring Chin Chao Chun (金超群) as Bao and many series released VCD.
- Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi , is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.Chow is a well-known, top-tier comedian and superstar of Hong Kong entertainment. This image is epitomized by his nickname 星爺...
made a spin-off movie based on Bao Zheng called Hail the JudgeHail the Judge is a 1994 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Wong Jing, starring Stephen Chow, Cheung Man, and Ng Man Tat.-Cast:* Stephen Chow - Judge Bao Sing* Cheung Man* Christy Chung* Ng Man Tat* Ada Choi* Collin Chou* Elvis Tsui...
or "Pale Face Bao Zheng Ting" in proper Chinese title. In the movie Stephen plays a descendant of Bao Zheng called "Bao Sing" living in Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
, whose family lost its once glorious prestige due to generation of incompetence and corruption.
- Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-Wah MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, film actor, and producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the 1990s...
in 2003 movie, Cat And MouseCat and Mouse is a 2003 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed by Gordon Chan, and starring Andy Lau, Anthony Wong and Cecilia Cheung.- Plot :...
portrayed Zhan Zhao, a court officer under Judge Bao who received order to pursue five mice. Judge Bao was played by Anthony Wong
- He briefly appears in the novel Iron Arm, Golden Sabre and sponsors young Zhou Tong's entry into the military as an officer.
- In the Marvel comic series New Universal, Young Judge Bao is one of the characters in an in-universe comic book.
- The new Justice Bao was recently shown on Taiwanese televisions and has consisted of characters from the first Justice Bao.
External links
His biography as recorded in Song's historical document Another biography