Zhou Chu (; 236?–12 February 297),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Ziyin (), was a

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

-era Chinese general. He was the son of Zhou Fang, a famous

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

general. He had a reputation for uprightness and integrity and is the protagonist of a famous Chinese legend, ''Zhou Chu Chu San Hai'' (周處除三害) or "Zhou Chu Eradicates the Three Scourges", in which he sought out to kill a tiger and dragon that were terrorizing his hometown. He participated in the campaign against Qi Wannian's Rebellion when he was forced by his superiors to fight the 70,000-strong enemy head-on with 5,000 soldiers and no supply. Zhou Chu died in a valiant last stand and was posthumously honoured by the Western and Eastern Jin courts. Zhou Chu is depicted in the woodcut print Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.

Eradicating the Three Scourges

A folk story about Zhou Chu appeared in the 430 book '' A New Account of the Tales of the World'' and proved to be very popular. The story claims that Zhou Chu was such a cruel and violent ruffian in his younger days that he was called one of the "Three Scourges" by the villagers in his native (present-day city of

Yixing Yixing () is a county-level city administered under the prefecture-level city of Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province, China, and is part of the Yangtze Delta, Yangtze River Delta. The city is known for its traditional Yixing ware, Yixing clay ware t ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

), along with a tiger and a

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

. Prompted by a villager, Zhou Chu took on the challenge to seek out and kill the tiger and the scaly dragon that lived in a stream (the '' jiao''). His battle with this dragon endured for 3 days in

Lake Tai Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With ...

, and the villagers were celebrating the demise of the two scourges when Zhou Chu returned triumphant with the dragon's head. That was when he realized that he was the last scourge that the villagers feared. Determined to mend his old ways, he sought out

generals Lu Ji and Lu Yun (陸雲), and received encouragement. Eventually he became an accomplished general beloved by his people.

Death

Zhou Chu became Palace Aide to the Censor-in-Chief () and had no fear in indicting and exposing the wrongdoings of other ministers. He thus offended many, including Sima Rong (司馬肜), son of

Sima Yi Sima Yi (; ; 179 CE7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 under th ...

and an uncle of Sima Yan, founder of Western Jin. In 296, during the reign of Sima Zhong (Sima Yan's son and successor), when Sima Rong was named the Grand General of the Western expedition to quell

Qi Wannian Qi Wannian (died February or March 299), or Qiwannian, was an ethnic Di (Five Barbarians), Di chieftain and rebel leader during the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dynasty of China. In 296, he became the leader of a tribal uprising against ...

's rebellion, Zhou Chu was named the

vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

general. His fellow general Sun Xiu () warned him and suggested him to bid his aging mother a final farewell. Zhou Chu replied, "One cannot fulfill both

filial piety Filial piety is the virtue of exhibiting love and respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors, particularly within the context of Confucian ethics, Confucian, Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhist ethics, Buddhist, and Daoism, Daoist ethics. ...

and

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

at the same time. Since I have already chosen to serve my country... I will die for it." Zhou Chu was ordered to take 5,000 soldiers to attack the 70,000-strong enemy. After the attacks began, Sima Rong also ordered his supply to be cut off completely. Zhou's troops ran out of arrows and the generals assigned to reinforce him did not help. When asked to flee, Zhou Chu replied, "I am a minister of a nation. Isn't it proper to die for one's country?" He fought to his death.Kleeman, Terry F. (1998). ''Great Perfection: Religion and Ethnicity in a Chinese Millennial Kingdom.''

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. p.91. After his death, Zhou Chu was posthumously appointed as General Who Pacifies the West. He had four sons, Zhou Jing (周靖), Zhou Qi, Zhou Zha and Zhou Shuo (周碩). Zhou Qi became a famous general south of the Yangzi during the fall of Western Jin, thrusting their clan into prominence. Following Emperor Yuan of Jin's ascension, Zhou Chu was given the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

of "Xiao" (孝). Today, his tomb and a shrine dedicated to him can be found in

Explanatory notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Chu Jin dynasty (266–420) generals 230s births 297 deaths People from Yixing Jin dynasty (266–420) government officials Politicians from Wuxi People of Eastern Wu Deified Chinese men Legendary Chinese people Jin dynasty (266–420) people killed in action