Dong Ping 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 "General of Double Spears", he ranks 15th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Background

A native of Shangdang (上黨), located in present-day

Yuncheng Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Sh ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

, Dong Ping serves as the garrison commandant in Dongping Prefecture (東平府; present-day

Dongping County , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = BaifoShan Park.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_ ...

, Shandong). A fearsome warrior, he is nicknamed "General of Double Spears" as he fights with a pair of

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

s. He is handsome and an expert in music and the arts. Because he is gallant and has refined tastes, he is also called the "Debonair General of Double Spears".

Becoming an outlaw

Song Jiang leads a military attack on Dongping while

Lu Junyi Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. In some Chi ...

conducts another on Dongchang, under the agreement that whoever achieves conquest first would be elected the chief of Liangshan. Song sends Yu Baosi, an acquaintance of Dong Ping, and Wang Dingliu to coerce the prefect to surrender the city and give up its food stock. The prefect is cowed, but Dong Ping calms him down and suggests executing the two to strike fear in the bandits. Not ready to mortally anger Liangshan, the prefect orders Yu and Wang be beaten and thrown out. Liangshan's

Shi Jin Shi Jin is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Nine-Tattoo Dragon", he ranks 23rd among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Back ...

volunteers to sneak into Dongping to launch an internal sabotage. He takes cover in the house of a prostitute whom he has earlier patronised. But the brothel's owner squeals on him, leading to his arrest. The Liangshan outlaws immediately attack the city. Dong Ping battles with some of Liangshan's good fighters but neither side wins. Impressed with Dong's appearance and combat skill, Song is determined to win him over. Meanwhile, Dong Ping, enamoured of the prefect's daughter, is unhappy with the prefect for repeatedly declining his proposal. One night, the outlaws taunt Dong Ping and lure him out of the city. Dong Ping falls into a hidden pit as he chases after Song Jiang and is captured.

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 ...

's sincere and warm treatment convinces him to surrender. Dong Ping then tricks the prefect to open the city gate, kills the man and seizes his daughter.

Death

Dong Ping is appointed as one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the invading Liao army and rebel forces in

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. In the battle of Dusong Pass (獨松關; located south of present-day

Anji County () is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou in northwestern Zhejiang province, China. The county spans an area of , with a population of 461,800 as of the end of 2013. Located within the Yangtze River Delta, Anji County is a short d ...

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 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 ...

, Dong Ping and Zhang Qing combat with Li Tianrun, one of Fang's generals. Although injured in the left arm by a projectile, Dong Ping continues to fight Li. But he finally finds the wound unbearable and retreats to his ranks for treatment, leaving Zhang Qing to take over the fight. Zhang is killed when his spear gets stuck in a tree. Seeing that, Dong Ping charges forth and kills Li. But Li Tianrun's comrade Zhang Tao sneaks up on him and slices him in two from behind.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dong, Ping 36 Heavenly Spirits Fictional characters from Shanxi