Three Kingdoms Hero -- Guan Yu

Author: Tian Xingjian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: There were no gods in the world originally; gods were all created by people. Broadly speaking, before the Song Dynasty, people merely regarded Guan Yu as a brave general and a tragic hero. However, after the Song Dynasty, under the influence of Neo-Confucianism, feudal rulers and scholars gradually deified and sanctified Guan Yu based on his loyalty to Liu Bei, aiming to promote feudal ethics. His status rose day by day, not only becoming a sage equal to Confucius in literary circles but also ascending from a human ghost to a divine being, becoming the Divine Emperor Guan Sheng. Emperors of successive dynasties continuously bestowed upon him titles, the number of which was quite substantial. For instance, in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, his title was a lengthy 26 characters: "Zhongyi Shenshu Lingyou Renyong Weixian Huguo Baomin Jingcheng Suiling Yizan Xuande Guan Sheng Dadi." This is a historical novel. Please note the solemn and serious "historical" in the title—it means this is not a "light-hearted adaptation" or "romance," but a "historical" novel. The author's purpose in writing this book is to use the perspective and methods of historical materialism to strip away the layers of paint applied to Guan Yu by "romances," operas, folk legends, and myths, to remove the halo from his head, and to restore the true historical background of that era and Guan Yu's original historical identity. However, it is after all an artistic work, a novel, and is different from historical works. Even under the condition of not violating historical facts or straying from the historical context, there is some artistic embellishment, some exaggeration and re-creation. Of course, this can only be done within a certain range and to a certain extent, and it cannot deviate too far from the coordinate of "history." Therefore, in essence, this novel can still be considered a relatively rigorous "historical" novel. The "Notes on Reading History" at the end of the book provides and explanations for important historical facts, mainly intended for readers who love history, including those with a strong desire to know the truth and ask questions until they are satisfied. Its main functions are threefold: first, to correct the historical inaccuracies in "romances," operas, folk legends, and myths; second, to clarify the historical facts upon which the novel is based; and third, to help readers distinguish between the artistic embellishments in the novel and the historically documented facts. The current method of renovating ancient buildings in the world is to make the repaired parts clearly distinguishable from the original, supporting the entire structure without confusing authenticity. This is also the painstaking effort behind writing the "Notes on Reading History." I believe readers will understand.
In the Guan Di Temple, the magnificent main hall housed a towering seated statue of Guan Yu in imperial attire. The golden statue wore a twelve-crested crown and a brocade dragon robe; his phoenix eyes, vermilion face, and flowing five-beard moustache were depicted as if draped over his chest. Above the statue hung two plaques inscribed with "Zhongyi Qianqi" (Loyalty and Righteousness Endure Through Ages) and "Wansheng Renji" (The Ultimate Model for All People). Before the statue stood an altar with offerings and burning incense candles, the hall filled with swirling smoke. On both sides were standing statues of Guan Ping and Zhou Cang. Guan Ping rode the Red Horse, while Zhou Cang held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The walls were adorned with murals depicting Guan Yu's stories: the Three Oaths in the Peach Garden, slaying Yan Liang, executing Wen Chou, handing over his robe to leave Cao Cao, passing through five passes, beheading six generals, flooding the army with water, and ascending to heaven in Ma Cheng, etc. Tourists continuously entered to admire, among them an elderly professor in his sixties accompanied by a dozen male and female college students.
A male student asked the professor, "Professor, Guan Yu was a great general during the Three Kingdoms period, but he was arrogant and lacked wisdom. He wasn’t an entirely perfect figure—how did he become a god?"
The professor replied, "This is a complex question that can’t be explained in a few words. There were no gods in the world originally; gods were all created by people. Broadly speaking, before the Song Dynasty, people merely regarded Guan Yu as a brave general and a tragic hero. However, after the Song Dynasty, under the influence of Neo-Confucianism, feudal rulers and scholars gradually deified and sanctified Guan Yu based on his loyalty to Liu Bei, aiming to promote feudal ethics. His status rose day by day, not only becoming a sage equal to Confucius in literary circles but also ascending from a human ghost to a divine being, becoming the Divine Emperor Guan Sheng. Emperors of successive dynasties continuously bestowed upon him titles, the number of which was quite substantial. For instance, in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, his title was a lengthy 26 characters, which I can’t recall."
He then took out a small notebook and flipped through it. "Ah, here it is! Listen: the 26 characters are ‘Zhongyi Shenshu Lingyou Renyong Weixian Huguo Baomin Jingcheng Suiling Yizan Xuande Guan Sheng Dadi.’ The title is already astonishingly grand. In folklore, there are many legends of ‘Guan Gong Manifesting,’ ‘Guan Gong Possessing Someone,’ and ‘Guan Gong Appearing in Dreams,’ to the extent that activities like fortune-telling and divination are often conducted in his name. Before liberation, there were many Guan Di Temples in various places, and some people believed that the number of Guan Di Temples accounted for the top spot among all temples."
While the professor was speaking, some tourists gathered around to listen. A man wearing a flat cap chimed in, "Guan Lao Ye was truly remarkable!"
The professor smiled and asked, "What’s remarkable about him?"
The man pointed to the murals, "Isn’t it depicted there? Slaying Yan Liang, executing Wen Chou, protecting the two imperial concubines on a lone horse for a thousand miles, passing through five passes and beheading six generals, meeting in the ancient city and slaying Cai Yang, flooding the army with water."
Another tourist pointed at the man in the flat cap, "He’s an opera actor—he’s performed Guan Lao Ye’s roles."
The professor said, "The stories depicted in the murals are all from the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ not from historical records, and many of the plots lack historical basis. Today, we should promote science, eliminate superstition, and break free from any mysterious idol worship to restore Guan Yu’s original historical identity and let him meet us as an ordinary human being."
The students and tourists almost echoed in unison, "Professor, then please tell us about the historical Guan Yu!"
The professor thought for a moment and said, "How can such a long story be told in this setting? Recently, I’ve written a historical novel called ‘The Fierce General of the Three Kingdoms—Guan Yu,’ which will be published soon. If you’re interested, you can read that book."
He then spoke with deep emotion, "It’s a historical tragedy, a tragic drama of human nature, of fate, of a hero’s downfall! When you open that novel, it’s as if you give your memories wings and fly back through time to the era 1,700 years ago, when heroes were made and destroyed amidst fierce competition and endless warfare."