Ancient Chinese Warrior Lin Chong - The Panther Head
DISCOUNTED: This one has been on our shelves for a while - nothing wrong with it, just time to move the inventory.
This is Lin Chong. He was once an official of the empire, and was a man of great integrity and honesty. In a rather unsavory episode, his honest trait was used against him, and he was tricked into violating the law. He was arrested, and nearly murdered.
This even lead to Lin Chong joining forces with the Outlaw Heroes of Liang Shan.
What to know more... More information about Lin Chong from Wikipedia
This is one of many warriors from a classic Chinese novel written about 650 years ago. The novel can be compared to Homer's Odyssey, because much of the story is based on and/or matches historical facts of ancient China. Nobody seems sure if these legendary warriors are real, myth, or a combination of the two.
It is difficult to translate the title of the novel into English, but some translations of the novel into English have titled it in the following ways:
All Men are Brothers
Outlaws of the Marsh
The Water Margin (This is the direct Chinese translation into English, we'd probably say, "The Marsh")
You can find several translations of the whole novel in English on Amazon if you are interested in the story. Just look for one of the above titles.
The story covers the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaw heroes. These men and women were persecuted and banished to the marsh by corrupt officials of the Song (Sung) Dynasty.
This group, over the years formed an army of warriors that fought against the government. The often raided official riches, and distributed the wealth among the poor (and of course themselves). For this fact, they are often compared to the story of Robin Hood. But don't let that fool you. These were some of the most ruthless characters of ancient China. They were no angels.
My personal notes on the novel: If you get a chance to read the novel, you will find suspense, romance, a lot of character development, and of course, a whole lot of violence.
The violence they inflict was not something that most of them desired in their hearts, but something that their circumstances forced them to portray. The loyalty and honor of these warriors to each other, and their cause becomes extreme through time. The whole story is really about the love, duty, and honor of these "Warriors of circumstance".
About the Artist
The artist's name is Ou-Yang Guo-De of Guilin, China.
