Lü Fang is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known works of literary fiction across pre-modern Chinese literature. The group usually includes the following works: Ming dynasty novels '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', '' Water Margin'', ''Journey to t ...

Chinese literature The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202 ...

. Nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen", he ranks 54th among 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 ...

and 18th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Lü Fang, a native of Tanzhou (around present-day

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

), usually wears a suit of red armour and a silk belt over a flowery robe as well as a knot-like headdress topped with a long feather. He rides a red horse and fights with a '' ji'', resembling

Lü Bu Lü Bu (; died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betrayed a ...

of the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

era whose horse is named

Red Hare The Red Hare or Chi Tu () was a famous horse owned by the warlord Lü Bu, who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In historical records The Red Hare was mentioned in Lü Bu's biographies in the historical texts ''Records of the ...

for its colour and whose weapon called "Sky Piercer" () was a ''ji''. Due to his many similarities with Lü Bu, Lü Fang is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen", the Marquis of Wen being Lü Bu's highest official title. A trader in medicine, Lü Fang suffers losses while doing business in

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

and could not afford the journey home. He becomes a bandit chief at one of the two facing hills of Mount Duiying () or Mount Mirror Image. He becomes famous in the region after defeating many who comes to duel with him. When Guo Sheng, who also fights with a ''ji,'' hears of Lü Fang, he comes to Mount Duiying to challenge him to determine who is more worthy of the weapon. As neither could win, the engagement goes on and off for days.

Joining Liangshan

Song Jiang Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty, Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. His band marauded over a region straddling the present-day Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan. Th ...

Hua Rong Hua Rong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Li Guang", he ranks ninth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Backgro ...

and the outlaws of Mount Qingfeng pass by Mount Duiying as they head to join

Liangshan Marsh Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China, which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel '' Water Margin''. The modern Liangshan County i ...

after causing mayhem at

Qingzhou Qingzhou () Wade–Giles: Tsing-chou, sometimes written as Ching-chow-fu, formerly Yidu County (Yitu) (), is a county-level city, which is located in the west of the prefecture-level city of Weifang, in the central part of Shandong Province, Chin ...

including routing a government army. They come upon the duel between Guo Sheng and Lü Fang. It happens that the tassels of the two '' ji'' get tangled together. The two fighters struggle but could not free their weapons. Seeing that, Hua Rong fires an arrow that hits the tangled point and separates the weapons. Everyone present cheers. Guo and Lü stop their fight and comes to greet Hua and his group. Upon learning that the group is going to Liangshan, both wanted in and are accepted.

Campaigns and death

After the

came together in what is called the Grand Assembly, Lü Fang, together with Guo Sheng, is appointed as the guardian of the central camp. That means they are personal bodyguards of Song Jiang. Lü Fang participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

territory following amnesty by Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. In the battle of Black Dragon Ridge (烏龍嶺; northeast of present-day Meicheng Town,

Jiande Jiande is a county-level city of Zhejiang Province, East China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hangzhou. History During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jiande was the capital of Yanzhou Prefecture. On account of thi ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

) 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 sometim ...

, Lü Fang encounters an enemy officer Bai Qin. After an inconclusive fight, they discard their weapons and grapple with each other on horseback. Both fall off the cliff to their deaths.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Fang 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Hunan