Break Chu — Zixu's exile

Author: Shanglue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The story of Zixu's exile and the destruction of Chu is one of the classic revenge tales in Chinese history. Sima Qian's "Biography of Zixu" is also a classic text for narrating this story. "Abandoning minor righteousness to avenge great humiliation, his name will be remembered for generations to come," is Sima Qian's classic praise for Zixu's revenge. Under Sima Qian's pen, countless tales of revenge come alive—Goujian's destruction of Wu, Yu Rang's assassination of Zhao, Fan Qian's entry into Qin, Sun Bin's conquest of Wei, the tale of the Orphan of Zhao, and Xiang Yu's destruction of Qin—all driven by a fierce life force amidst brutality, and the vast, mountain-like grievances in Sima Qian's heart. But in Shanglue's portrayal, the brutal narrative, the myth of revenge, all vanish. What we see here is only the avoidance of revenge, the avoidance of greatness, and only a gloomy, cowardly, shameless figure, pushed by various ugly yet perhaps what a philosopher might call the "inevitability of history," step by step, mistakenly entering history and legend in the guise of a hero. Here, whether it is Wuzixu playing the flute in the Wu market, or Helü, Zuan Zhu, Yao Li, and Shen Baoxiu—all the legendary kings, warriors, assassins, and loyal ministers—are all outstanding performers of behavioral art. Of course, by the end, you will realize it. Behind them is another great artist, called history.