Lü Shinang
Encyclopedia
Lü Shinang was the leader of a Chinese Manichaean
cult who led an uprising against the Song Dynasty
in Taizhou, Zhejiang
.
Lü Shinang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. In the story, Lü Shinang is a subordinate of Fang La
, one of the antagonists and enemies of the 108 Liangshan
heroes.
, Zhejiang
. He was the leader of a Chinese Manichaean
cult and helped the common people, who were suffering from poverty. He was popularly nicknamed "Lord Xinling" after Lord Xinling of the Four Lords of the Warring States
for his efforts.
In 1120, Xianju was hit by a drought and the people suffered from famine. The following year, the situation worsened but the local government did not provide relief aid. Instead, it pressured the common people to pay taxes and supply grain. Lü Shinang and about 1,000 men from Xianju were ordered to deliver grain to the county office. On the way, the escorting officers treated the men harshly and beat them when they asked for a short break. Lü Shinang made a speech to his fellows, denouncing the government and calling them to revolt. The people responded to his call and killed the officers and distributed grain to the starving people. Subsequently, Lü Shinang's rebel force defeated an army sent to suppress the rebellion and seized control of Xianju. At the same time, many people and Lü Shinang's followers in Yongkang and Yongjia joined him in rebelling and the rebel forces grew in strength until it reached more than 10,000. Lü Shinang's rebellion took place in the territory of Fang La
, another rebel leader, and Lü allied himself with Fang.
In the third and fourth months of that year, the rebels attacked Taizhou
thrice but failed to conquer the city. Lü Shinang split his army into two forces to take Tiantai
and Huangyan
. Towards the end of the fourth month, Fang La was captured by imperial forces. Lü Shinang's force defeated the imperial army led by Zhe Kecun and Liu Guang and captured Yueqing
and Wenzhou
.
In the fifth month, Tong Guan
organized a 150,000 strong army to crush the rebellion and inflicted heavy casualties on Lü Shinang's forces. In the seventh month, Lü Shinang attacked Wenzhou and besieged the city for 36 days but failed to conquer it, and the situation worsened when reinforcements for the enemy arrived. The rebels were surrounded in Huangyan and suffered heavy casualties. Lü Shinang was wounded and attempted to escape by leaping off a cliff, but was captured by imperial forces. Lü Shinang was eventually killed by arrows and his corpse was dismembered.
Following the suppression of Lü Shinang's rebellion, Tong Guan ordered a massacre on Lü's clan and followers. Lü Shinang's hometown was destroyed and its inhabitants slaughtered. Several years later, some survivors returned to the town and rebuilt their homes near the bridge overlooking Weijiang Stream. The place was named Lü's Bridge in memory of Lü Shinang.
Lü Shinang is a rich man from Shezhou. He donated his wealth to support Fang La
in his rebellion and is appointed by Fang as an official after Fang established his kingdom in the Jiangnan
region. Lü Shinang studied military strategy in his youth and excels in martial arts. He wields a eight-feet long snake spear in combat. He has 12 subordinates under his command, collectively known as the "12 Deities of Jiangnan", along with another 50,000 troops.
Lü Shinang encounters the Liangshan
army led by Song Jiang
near Wuxi
. He fights with Liangshan's Xu Ning
for more than 20 rounds and reveals a weak spot by accident. Xu Ning takes the opportunity to spear Lü Shinang below the ribs and kill him.
Manichaeism
Manichaeism in Modern Persian Āyin e Māni; ) was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia.Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived...
cult who led an uprising against the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in middle eastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...
.
Lü Shinang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. In the story, Lü Shinang is a subordinate of Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
, one of the antagonists and enemies of the 108 Liangshan
Mount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
heroes.
Biography
Lü Shinang was a native of present-day Baita Town, Xianju CountyXianju County
Xianju County is a county of Zhejiang, China. It is under the administration of the Taizhou city....
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. He was the leader of a Chinese Manichaean
Manichaeism
Manichaeism in Modern Persian Āyin e Māni; ) was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia.Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived...
cult and helped the common people, who were suffering from poverty. He was popularly nicknamed "Lord Xinling" after Lord Xinling of the Four Lords of the Warring States
Four Lords of the Warring States
The Four Lords of the Warring States is a common term that refers to the four famous regional aristocrat of the late Chinese Warring States period....
for his efforts.
In 1120, Xianju was hit by a drought and the people suffered from famine. The following year, the situation worsened but the local government did not provide relief aid. Instead, it pressured the common people to pay taxes and supply grain. Lü Shinang and about 1,000 men from Xianju were ordered to deliver grain to the county office. On the way, the escorting officers treated the men harshly and beat them when they asked for a short break. Lü Shinang made a speech to his fellows, denouncing the government and calling them to revolt. The people responded to his call and killed the officers and distributed grain to the starving people. Subsequently, Lü Shinang's rebel force defeated an army sent to suppress the rebellion and seized control of Xianju. At the same time, many people and Lü Shinang's followers in Yongkang and Yongjia joined him in rebelling and the rebel forces grew in strength until it reached more than 10,000. Lü Shinang's rebellion took place in the territory of Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
, another rebel leader, and Lü allied himself with Fang.
In the third and fourth months of that year, the rebels attacked Taizhou
Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in middle eastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...
thrice but failed to conquer the city. Lü Shinang split his army into two forces to take Tiantai
Tiantai County
Tiantai County , located in the east of Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China is noted for its scenic Mount Tiantai, which is also an important Tiantai Buddhism site. With a total area of and a population of 560,000, Tiantai is a middle-scale city that administers twelve towns, three...
and Huangyan
Huangyan District
Huangyan District is a district of Taizhou, a city in Zhejiang Province, China. Huangyan has an area of 988 km² and a population of approximately 570,000. It has an average annual precipitation of 1676mm and an annual average temperature of 17°C.-History:In 1989, Huangyan County was upgraded...
. Towards the end of the fourth month, Fang La was captured by imperial forces. Lü Shinang's force defeated the imperial army led by Zhe Kecun and Liu Guang and captured Yueqing
Yueqing
Yueqing , sometimes mis-pronounced and mis-spelled as "Leqing", is a county-level city under the administration of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, in eastern China...
and Wenzhou
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
.
In the fifth month, Tong Guan
Tong Guan
Tong Guan , style name Daofu , was a court eunuch, military general, political adviser, and Council of State to Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. In the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Tong Guan is featured as an antagonist and enemy of the 108...
organized a 150,000 strong army to crush the rebellion and inflicted heavy casualties on Lü Shinang's forces. In the seventh month, Lü Shinang attacked Wenzhou and besieged the city for 36 days but failed to conquer it, and the situation worsened when reinforcements for the enemy arrived. The rebels were surrounded in Huangyan and suffered heavy casualties. Lü Shinang was wounded and attempted to escape by leaping off a cliff, but was captured by imperial forces. Lü Shinang was eventually killed by arrows and his corpse was dismembered.
Following the suppression of Lü Shinang's rebellion, Tong Guan ordered a massacre on Lü's clan and followers. Lü Shinang's hometown was destroyed and its inhabitants slaughtered. Several years later, some survivors returned to the town and rebuilt their homes near the bridge overlooking Weijiang Stream. The place was named Lü's Bridge in memory of Lü Shinang.
In fiction
In the Water MarginWater Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
Lü Shinang is a rich man from Shezhou. He donated his wealth to support Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
in his rebellion and is appointed by Fang as an official after Fang established his kingdom in the Jiangnan
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta...
region. Lü Shinang studied military strategy in his youth and excels in martial arts. He wields a eight-feet long snake spear in combat. He has 12 subordinates under his command, collectively known as the "12 Deities of Jiangnan", along with another 50,000 troops.
Lü Shinang encounters the Liangshan
Mount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
army led by Song Jiang
Song Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
near Wuxi
Wuxi
Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...
. He fights with Liangshan's Xu Ning
Xu Ning
Xu Ning is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 18th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Gold Lancer".-Background:...
for more than 20 rounds and reveals a weak spot by accident. Xu Ning takes the opportunity to spear Lü Shinang below the ribs and kill him.
External links
Lü Shinang on Baidu BaikeBaidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....