Xuan Zan is a fictional character in the Water Margin

Water Margin

Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...

, one of the Four Great Classical Novels

Four Great Classical Novels

The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...

 of Chinese literature

Chinese literature

Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...

. He ranks 40th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 4th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Ugly Prince Consort".

Background

The Water Margin describes Xuan Zan as an ugly-looking man eight chi

Chi (unit)

The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to one foot. Its length is derived from the length of human forearm and has first appeared during the Shang Dynasty approximately 3000 years ago. Since then it has spread to and adopted by other East Asian cultures, such as...

tall, with a face like the bottom of a wok, an upward pointing nose, messy hair and a red beard. Xuan Zan has a large stature and excels in martial arts. He wields a saber

Dao (sword)

Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...

 in combat.

A prince recognises Xuan Zan's outstanding combat abilities and decides to marry his daughter to him. Xuan Zan is thus nicknamed "Ugly Prince Consort". However, the princess is not pleased with Xuan Zan's looks and dies in anguish and hatred later. Xuan Zan falls out of favour from government officials due to his looks and had since remained as an unnoticed talent. He serves in the local county office as a low ranking military officer.

Becoming an outlaw

Lu Junyi

Lu Junyi

Lu Junyi is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 2nd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Jade Unicorn"...

 is arrested and imprisoned in Daming Prefecture

Daming County

Daming County is a county of Hebei, China. It is under the administration of Handan city.-Administrative Divisions:Daming County has 6 towns and 14 townships.Towns:...

 (in present-day Handan

Handan

Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...

), after his housekeeper and adulterous wife betray him. The outlaws from Liangshan Marsh

Mount Liang

Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...

 form an army to attack Daming Prefecture to rescue Lu. Grand Secretary Liang Shijie, the official in charge of Daming Prefecture, writes a letter to the imperial court, asking for reinforcements to deal with the outlaws, who are besieging the city.

Xuan Zan recommends Guan Sheng

Guan Sheng

Guan Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 5th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Great Blade".-Background:...

 to the Imperial Tutor, Cai Jing

Cai Jing

Cai Jing , style name Yuanchang , was a government official and calligrapher who lived during the Northern Song Dynasty. Cai Jing is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese...

. Cai Jing orders Guan Sheng to lead reinforcements to Daming Prefecture to lift the siege. Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen serve as Guan Sheng's deputies and leaders of the vanguard army. Guan Sheng is lured into a trap by Huyan Zhuo and he is captured. Xuan Zan is defeated and captured by Liangshan's Qin Ming

Qin Ming

Qin Ming is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 7th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Fiery Thunderbolt".-Background:...

. Song Jiang

Song Jiang

Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...

 treats the captives with respect and succeeds in persuading them to join the Liangshan cause of "delivering justice on Heaven's behalf".

After Guan Sheng's defection, Cai Jing sends Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo to lead another army to attack the outlaws. Guan Sheng volunteers to lead Liangshan's forces to counter the imperial armies, with Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen as his deputies. Xuan Zan is lured by Wei Dingguo into the enemy formation where he is defeated and captured, and escorted as a prisoner-of-war back to Daming Prefecture. Along the way, the bandits from Mount Deadwood led by Bao Xu

Bao Xu

Bao Xu is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 60th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 24th of the 72 Earthly Fiends...

 and Li Kui attack the convoy and rescue Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen.

Campaigns and death

Xuan Zan becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan calvary after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao

Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...

 invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La

Fang La

Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...

 campaign, he is assigned to attack the enemy city of Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...

. He encounters the enemy general Guo Shiguang and engages Guo in a fierce fight under Yinma Bridge, where they perish together.