Zou Yuan

Zou Yuan
Water Margin character
First appearance	Chapter 49
Nickname	"Forest Emerging Dragon" 出林龍
Rank	90th, Short Star (地短星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends
Infantry leader of Liangshan
Origin	Outlaw leader
Ancestral home / Place of origin	Laizhou, Shandong
Weapon	Flying Tiger Staff (飛虎棒)
Names
Simplified Chinese	邹渊
Traditional Chinese	鄒淵
Pinyin	Zōu Yuān
Wade–Giles	Tsou Yüan

Zou Yuan is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Forest Emerging Dragon", he ranks 90th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 54th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Zou Yuan, a native of Laizhou, is skilled in martial arts. Upright and principled, he is intolerant of people he is contemptuous of. Before becoming an outlaw, he used to be a vagrant who indulged in gambling.

Zou Yuan and his nephew Zou Run, who is about his age, lead a group of outlaws at Mount Dengyun (登雲山) near Laizhou. They practise the principle of robbing the rich to help the poor. The Zous are close friends of Sun Xin and Yang Lin, Deng Fei and Shi Yong of Liangshan Marsh.

Joining Liangshan

The Xie brothers (Xie Zhen and Xie Bao) are arrested in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong) for smashing up the house of one Squire Mao who has pocketed the tiger they shot to claim the reward at the prefectural office. Yue He, a jailer in the prison and a distant relative of the Xies, takes the news to their cousin Gu Dasao, warning that the brothers could be murdered in prison. Gu's husband Sun Xin enlists the Zous to help in the rescue. Sun Xin also compels his brother Sun Li, the garrison commandant of Dengzhou, to join the plan. After they extricated the Xies from prison, the group flee to join the Liangshan Marsh.

Before going up to the stronghold, Sun Li volunteers to infiltrate the Zhu Family Manor, which Liangshan has failed to take in two offensives. As Sun Li has learnt combat from the same teacher as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the manor, he wins the confidence of the Zhus.As sooon as Sun Li gives his signal Zou Yuan, together with Zou Run, Sun Xin, Gu Dasao, the Xie brothers and Yue He, goes on a rampage inside the manor, taking it by surprise. The fall of the Zhu Family Manor is a great contribution by the group before their acceptance into Liangshan.

Campaigns and death

Zou Yuan is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.

In the battle of Qingxi County (清溪縣; present-day Chun'an County, Zhejiang) in the campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Zou Yuan is trampled to death by the enemy's cavalry.

References

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Miyazaki, Ichisada (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
• Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 183. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
• Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.