Chai Jin is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is ...

'', one of the

four great classical novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish ...

in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Whirlwind", he ranks 10th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the

108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Heroes are the main characters of the Ming dynasty classic Chinese novel the ''Water Margin'', which was written in the 14th century and usually attributed to Shi Nai'an. The heroes are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly F ...

Background and history

The novel depicts Chai Jin as handsome-looking with eyebrows like those of a dragon, eyes like those of a

fenghuang ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

, red lips and white teeth. He is descended from

Chai Rong Chai Rong () (27 October 921 – 27 July 959), later known as Guo Rong (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...

, the second emperor of the short-lived Later Zhou dynasty. The Later Zhou general Zhao Kuangyin usurped the imperial throne from Chai Rong's young son,

Chai Zongxun Guo Zongxun () (14 September 953 – 973) or Chai Zongxun (), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Gong of Later Zhou (), was the third and last emperor the Chinese Later Zhou dynasty, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms per ...

, in the Coup at Chen Bridge of 960 AD and became the founding emperor of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

. According to ''Water Margin'', Zhao Kuangyin felt guilty about the usurpation so he treated the Chai clan well, granting them many privileges which were later passed on to their descendants. Among these was immunity from prosecution except for capital crimes. The privilege was inscribed in a ''danshu tiequan'' (丹書鐵券; literally, "iron certificate inked in red"). Chai Jin inherits his ancestors' residence in

Cangzhou Cangzhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunhe, Xinhua districts and Cang County largely being conurbated had a populatio ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

, and the ''danshu tiequan.''

Lin Chong Lin Chong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Panther Head", he ranks sixth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits. In some folk tales derived from the novel, he is said t ...

, Wu Song and

Song Jiang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

have all sought shelter in Chai Jin's residence when they were on the run from the law. That is because Chai could guarantee them safety with his ''danshu tiequan'', which also bars the authorities from searching his house. Fairly good in martial arts, Chai is known to open his door to all chivalrous men and will provide them generously with money when they leave. Many Liangshan outlaws regard him as their protector embedded in high society.

Imprisonment

Yin Tianxi is the brother-in-law of Gao Lian, the prefect of Gaotangzhou (高唐州; around present-day Gaotang County, Shandong) and cousin of Grand Marshal Gao Qiu, who serves in the imperial court in Dongjing. Covetous of the mansion of Chai Jin's uncle, Yin has been harassing the family to force them to surrender it for free. As the old man would not budge, the latter orders his thugs to beat him up. Chai Jin hurries from Cangzhou to Gaotangzhou when told of his uncle's condition, but the latter soon dies from his injuries. Yin comes again to seize the house. He orders his men to beat Chai Jin, who obstructs his way at the gate. Liangshan's Li Kui is with Chai at that time as he has been ordered to stay away from the stronghold, at least temporarily, as an appeasement to Zhu Tong. Zhu is furious with Li for killing a magistrate's four-year-old son placed in his care. The killing is ordered by Wu Yong, Liangshan's chief strategist, to leave Zhu with no choice but to join Liangshan. Seeing Chai Jin is bullied, Li Kui charges forth and thrashes Yin to death. Chai tells Li to flee. When told of Yin's death, Gao Lian is furious and orders Chai be arrested, dismissing the latter's ''danshu tiequan'' as a piece of empty and obsolete document. Song Jiang launches a military attack on Gaotangzhou to save Chai Jin. After Gongsun Sheng defeats Gao Lian in a battle of magic, the outlaws flock into the prison to search for Chai Jin. But none could locate him. A jailer tells them he has hidden Chai in a dry well to keep him from being harmed by Gao. Li Kui volunteers to go down the deep shaft to fetch Chai up. As Chai has been tormented and deprived of nourishment for days, he is close to death when hauled out of the well. Fortunately, he survives. Chai Jin joins Liangshan, knowing that the ''danshu tiequan'' is a fraud.

Becoming an outlaw

Chai Jin is placed in charge of Liangshan's accounts with Li Ying after the

came together in what is called the "Grand Assembly". He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. Midway in the campaign against

Fang La Fang La (; died 1121) was a Chinese rebel leader who led an uprising against the Song dynasty. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He is sometimes ...

, Chai Jin and Yan Qing travel to Fang's base in Qingxi County (清溪縣; present-day Chun'an County,

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by ...

) in the guise of merchants in a plan to infiltrate his rebel force. Chai Jin, using the false name "Ke Yin" (), is brought before Fang, who is charmed by his looks and eloquence. He even marries his daughter to him. When Fang fights his last-ditch battle with Liangshan, Chai Jin suddenly sets upon his force. Fang La‘s side is thrown into disarray, leading to his capture. Chai's wife hangs herself.

Later life

Chai Jin is one of the Liangshan heroes who survive all the campaigns. After serving in the imperial court for a while, he resigns, certain that sooner or later he would be punished for having been Fang La's son-in-law. He returns to Cangzhou and lives in comfort for the rest of his life.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chai, Jin 36 Heavenly Spirits Fictional socialites Fictional characters from Hebei

Background and history

Imprisonment

Becoming an outlaw

Later life

See also

References