''The Haunted Monastery'' is a '' gong'an'' detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

). It is a fiction based on the real character of

Judge Dee Judge Dee, or Judge Di, is a semi-fictional character based on the historical figure Di Renjie, county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. The character appeared in the 18th-century Chinese detective and '' gong'an'' crime novel ''Di Gong ...

(

Di Renjie Di Renjie (630 – November 11, 700), courtesy name Huaiying (懷英), formally Duke Wenhui of Liang (梁文惠公), was a Chinese politician of Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties, twice serving as chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian. He was one of ...

), a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. The book contains eight illustrations by the author as well as a diagram of the Monastery where the action takes place.

Plot introduction

Judge Dee and his three wives are on their way back from a visit to family in the capital accompanied by the Judge's aide Tao Gan when a terrible storm and a broken axle forces the party to take shelter for the night in an isolated Taoist monastery of sinister repute. The wives go directly to bed but the Judge is required to pay a courtesy visit to the Abbot. Judge Dee is a Confucist and has a poor opinion of

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

which, like Buddhism, encourages adherents to become monks & nuns. He, however, diplomatically keeps his opinion to himself as he endures the feast & mystery play. Thus begins an endless night of murder, mayhem and madness as the Judge, suffering from the beginnings of a head cold, solves the mysterious deaths, punishes the guilty and brings two star-crossed young couples together. 'I ought to give up being a magistrate and set up for a matchmaker!' he says in disgust. Of special interest is the gallery of horrors depicting the torments awaiting sinners in the Taoist hell as well as the vicious trained bear.

Literary significance and criticism

"Some interesting sidelights on Confucian and Taoist beliefs emerge from this tale of corruption and murder in a monastery, where Judge Dee runs into considerable danger but ends up administering justice in a primitive way. Perhaps because it is short and somewhat huddled, this work does not remain in the memory as one of his best".Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. ''A Catalogue of Crime''. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989.

Publication

Van Gulik found his London publisher Michael Joseph unwilling to publish more than one title a year so he decided to publish ''The Haunted Monastery'' privately by the Art Printing Works in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

in 1961. ''

The Red Pavilion ''The Red Pavilion'' is a ''gong'an'' detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang Dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate an ...

'' was also similarly printed that year, '' The Lacquer Screen'' followed in 1962). All three were produced in paperback form with a print run of 2,000 copies. ''The Haunted Monastery'' was finally published in the UK by Heinemann in 1963.

On screen

In 1974 the novel ''The Haunted Monastery'' was produced as a

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

by Gerald Isenberg with the title ''Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders''.Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
(TV 1974) at IMDb It was filmed with Khigh Dhiegh as Dee and an all-Asian cast (including

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...

, Soon-Tek Oh,

Irene Tsu Irene Tsu (; born November 4, 1945)Cf. Lisanti & Paul (2002), p.293 is a Chinese American actress who made her debut in the film adaptation of ''Flower Drum Song'' in 1961, and has had many subsequent roles in TV and films. She was featured playi ...

and James Hong). Writing was credited to Nicholas Meyer and Robert van Gulik. It was nominated for an Edgar Award, for ''Best Television Feature or Miniseries'' in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haunted Monastery, The 1961 novels Gong'an novels Judge Dee Self-published books Novels set in the 7th century Novels set in the Tang dynasty Dutch novels adapted into films Dutch novels adapted into television shows