Gongsun Ce | |
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The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants character | |
![]() from one 1890 print of the novel |
Gongsun Ce | |||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 公 孫 策 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 公 孙 策 | ||||||||||||||
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Gongsun Ce is a fictional character in the Chinese novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants . Highly intelligent and very familiar with traditional Chinese medicine,he was an able assistant to the upright official Bao Zheng.
Proficient in Chinese classics with a sharp mind,Gongsun Ce nevertheless failed the imperial examination multiple times. (Although not clearly stated,the novel implied his failures were due to other candidates bribing corrupt chief examiners like Pang Ji.) He found refuge at a monastery and was treated well by the abbot,who eventually recommended him to the newly appointed Kaifeng prefect Bao Zheng. After reading the abbot's reference letter and interviewing him,Bao took Gongsun as his assistant.
As Gongsun Ce studied medicine,he was able to investigate cases by disguising himself as a wandering doctor carrying a medicine kit and a quack's banner. If he was invited to a patient's family,he would ask questions related to the case during the diagnosis. He would also personally perform autopsy when needed for his investigations.
According to the novel,Gongsun Ce was able to correctly diagnose a woman's pregnancy as well as depression by taking her pulse. He prescribed her a prescription to prevent miscarriage and invigorate circulation.
Gongsun Ce also cured a madman with his "Five-wood Decoction":boiled water containing woods from mulberry,elm,peach,pagoda trees and willow. The patient was put in the decoction bath,covered with blankets except for his face,and after perspiring all over recovered from his insanity.
Gongsun Ce designed a set of three guillotines for Bao,decorated with a dog's head,a tiger's head and a dragon's head to execute commoners,government officials and imperial personages respectively.
Using his knowledge of anatomy,Gongsun Ce also invented a torture instrument called "Apricot Flower Raindrops". It was a large flat piece of iron studded with small buttons. When made red-hot,the buttons would burn the skin of an accused placed on the instrument;however,the injuries would not be fatal.
Bao Zheng,commonly known as Bao Gong,was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service,Bao was known for his honesty and uprightness,with actions such as impeaching an uncle of Emperor Renzong's favourite concubine and punishing powerful families. His appointment from 1057 to 1058 as the prefect of Song's capital Kaifeng,where he initiated a number of changes to better hear the grievances of the people,made him a legendary figure. During his years in office,he gained the honorific title Justice Bao due to his ability to defend peasants and commoners against corruption or injustice. Bao Zheng is depicted as the incarnation of the Astral God of Civil Arts,while another protagonist —famous Northern Song warrior Di Qing as the Astral God of Military Arts.
Gongsun is one of the few Chinese compound surnames.
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Gong'an or crime-case fiction is a subgenre of Chinese crime fiction involving government magistrates who solve criminal cases. Gong'an fiction first appeared in the colloquial stories of Song dynasty. Gong'an fiction was then developed and become one of the most popular fiction styles in Ming and Qing dynasties. The Judge Dee and Judge Bao stories are the best known examples of the genre.
Always and Ever is a 2013 Hong Kong TVB television romance drama serial starring Bobby Au-yeung and Esther Kwan and produced by Chong Wai-kin.
King Cat is a 1967 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Hsu Tseng Hung and produced by Shaw Brothers Studio. The story is loosely based on the 19th-century Chinese novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. The title refers to a nickname of the protagonist Zhan Zhao.
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Ding Yuehua is a fictional character from the 19th-century Chinese novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. She was a younger sister of the brothers Ding Zhaolan and Ding Zhaohui,and later married Zhan Zhao.
Kou Zhu is a fictional Song dynasty palace maid popular in legends related to Emperor Renzong of Song,Emperor Zhenzong of Song,Concubine Li and Empress Liu.
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The Three Heroes and Five Gallants is a 2016 Chinese television series produced by Huayi Brothers with Tianxing Yiyuan Entertainment (天星亿源影视),based on the 19th-century classic novel of the same name. Starring Chen Xiao,Yan Yikuan and Zheng Shuang,the series premiered on February 17,2016,on Anhui TV.
The Three Heroes and Five Gallants is a 1991 Chinese television series produced by Shanghai Cable Drama Television,based on the 19th-century classic novel of the same name. It is considered the most faithful adaptation of the novel.
The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants is a 1994 Taiwanese television series produced by Chinese Television System (CTS) a few months after its prequel Justice Pao,which was also produced by Chao Ta-shen. Dozens of actors appeared in both series,but only Sze Yu and Tu Man-sheng reprised their roles. Fan Hung-hsuan and Lung Lung chose to portray new characters rather than their iconic roles.
Sleek Rat,the Challenger is a 2013 Chinese wuxia-mystery television drama series based on Tan Ge's (谈歌) 2006 novel The New Legend of Bai Yutang (新白玉堂傳奇). The show stars Xu Honghao as the "Sleek Rat" Bai Yutang,a superb knight-errant during the 11th-century Song dynasty. Many characters come from either the 19th-century novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants or the Generals of the Yang Family legends,but the story is completely new.
The King's Woman is a 2017 Chinese television series starring Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang. It is adapted from the novel The Legend of Qin:Li Ji Story (秦时明月之丽姬传). The series aired on Zhejiang TV every Monday to Wednesday,from 14 August to 4 October 2017.
The Invincible Constable is a 1993 Chinese-Taiwanese martial arts comedy film directed by Hong Kong director Chan Muk-chuen,based on the 19th-century novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. The film was shot in Dajinhu National Geopark (大金湖国家地质公园) in Taining County,Fujian,a protected area of China.