Di Qing (1008–1057), formerly romanized as Ti Ch'ing, was a Chinese military general of the

Northern Song The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

dynasty. He often wore a mask in battle. He led campaigns against the

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia ( zh, c=, w=Hsi1 Hsia4, p=Xī Xià), officially the Great Xia ( zh, c=大夏, w=Ta4 Hsia4, p=Dà Xià, labels=no), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts ...

and the

Nong Zhigao Nong Zhigao (; modern Zhuang language: ; ) (1025–1055?) was a Zhuang people, Zhuang (Nùng people, Nùng) chieftain and the only emperor of Dali (大曆; 1041), Nantian (南天; 1045–1052), and eventually Danan (大南; 1052–1053). Today ...

rebellion in

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

. He was known for his bravery and skill in warfare, achieving numerous remarkable feats on the battlefield. He held high official positions, including that of the

Grand Preceptor Grand Preceptor, also referred to as Grand Master, Section Cp2:192 C was the seniormost of the Three Ducal Ministers or Excellencies, the top three civil positions of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The other two were Grand Tutor and Grand P ...

. He was also posthumously honored with the titles of and . In folklore, he was believed to be an incarnation of the God of Military Arts (Wuquxing).

Biography

Di Qing was born to a poor family in Xihe, Fenzhou (汾州西河; present-day Fenyang,

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

). He sported tattoos on his face and excelled in

mounted archery Mounted archery is a form of archery that involves shooting arrows while on horseback. A horse archer is a person who does mounted archery. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, mounted ...

. In 1038, during the reign of

Emperor Renzong of Song Emperor Renzong of Song (30 May 1010 – 30 April 1063), personal name Zhao Zhen, was the fourth emperor of the Northern Song dynasty of China. He reigned for about 41 years from 1022 to his death in 1063, making him the longest reigning Song ...

, Di Qing was appointed as Commander (指揮使) of Yanzhou (延州; covering parts of present-day

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

). He participated in the war between Song and

. Each time he went to war, he would don a bronze mask and let his hair run wild and disheveled, charging onto the battlefield. Di Qing was known to be close to Song ministers such as Yin Zhu (尹洙), Han Qi (韓琦) and

Fan Zhongyan Fan Zhongyan (5 September 989 – 19 June 1052), courtesy name Xiwen (), was an accomplished statesman, writer, scholar, and reformer of the northern Song dynasty. After serving multiple regional posts and at the imperial court for over two de ...

. Fan Zhongyan once presented Di Qing a copy of the ''

Zuo Zhuan The ''Zuo Zhuan'' ( zh, t=左傳, w=Tso Chuan; ), often translated as ''The Zuo Tradition'' or as ''The Commentary of Zuo'', is an ancient Chinese narrative history traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle the '' ...

'' and advised him to read. Di Qing took up scholarly pursuits and became a versed military strategist. He was later promoted to Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs (樞密副使) for his contributions. Di Qing participated in a total of 25 battles in his lifetime. Of these battles, he was best known for his night raid on

Kunlun Pass Kunlun Pass () is mountain pass located 59 kilometers northeast of Nanning, Guangxi and traversed by . The altitude is around 300 m (1000 ft). During the Second Sino-Japanese War, this pass was contended between the Japanese and the Chinese in t ...

on the 15th day of the first

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Euro ...

in 1053. He died at age 48.

Legends

Di Qing is depicted as the incarnation of the Astral God of Military Arts (Wuquxing, 武曲星), while another protagonist — famous Song figure

Bao Zheng Bao Zheng (; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Emperor Renzong of Song, Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao was kn ...

as the Astral God of Civil Arts ( Wenquxing, 文曲星). Three

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

novels are collectively known as the ''Romance of Di Qing'' and are attributed to Li Yutang. The central character in all 3 novels is Di Qing. The first one is originally titled "Pavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers" (萬花樓); the second one is titled "Five Tigers Conquering the West" (五虎征西) and the last one is titled "Five Tigers Conquering the South" (五虎平南). The novels also prominently feature Yang Zongbao from the Yang clan and

as the protagonists. In the above fiction, his father was a civil officer named Di Guang (狄廣) and his mother was Meng Shi (孟氏). His aunt, Di Qianjin (狄千金), married the Eighth Prince, the uncle of Emperor Renzong.

References

* Toqto'a et al., '' History of Song'', vol. 290 (Di Qing). *

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', a monumental work of history. B ...

, '' Sushui Jiwen'', vol. 13. {{DEFAULTSORT:Di, Qing 1008 births 1057 deaths Generals from Shanxi People from Lüliang Song dynasty generals 11th-century Chinese military personnel