THEDEERANDTHECAULDRONThe First BookA Martial Arts novelbyLouis ChaTranslated and editedby John MinfordOXPORDUNIVERSITYPRESSOXFORDUNIVERSITYPRESSOxfordUniversityPress isadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford.It furthers the University's objective ofexcellence in research, scholarship,and educationbypublishingworldwideinOxford New YorkAthens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town ChennaiDar es SalaamDelhi FlorenceHongKong IstanbulKarachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi ParisSao Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsawwith associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a registered trade markofOxfordUniversityPressFirst published 1997This impression (lowest digit)357910864PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyOxfordUniversityPress,NewYork
THE DEER AND THE CAULDRON The First Book A Martial Arts novel by Louis Cha Translated and edited by John Minford OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sao Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw with associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press First published 1997 This impression (lowest digit) 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 Published in the United States by Oxford University Press, New York
OxfordUniversityPress1997All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system,or transmitted,in anyform or byanymeans,without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or asexpresslypermitted byLaw,or underterms agreed withtheappropriatereprographics rights organization.Enquiries concerning reproductionoutside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department,Oxford University Press, at the address belowYou must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you mustimpose the same condition on any acquirerBritish Library Cataloguing in Publication Dataavailable Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataavailableISBN:0-19-590323-4Printed in Hong KongPublished by Oxford University Press (China) Ltd18thFloor Warwick House East, TaikooPlace, 979King's Road, Quarry BayHong KongAuthor and translator join in dedicating this book,with respect and affection,to theirfriend Professor LiuTs'un-yan, on the, occasion of his eightieth birthdayAUTHOR'SPREFACEDuring the seventeenth century, in the last years of the Ming dynasty and theearly years of the Manchu dynasty, the thriving southern city of Yangzhou was
© Oxford University Press 1997 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by Law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address below You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose the same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available ISBN: 0-19-590323-4 Printed in Hong Kong Published by Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 18th Floor Warwick House East, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay Hong Kong Author and translator join in dedicating this book, with respect and affection, to their friend Professor Liu Ts'un-yan, on the, occasion of his eightieth birthday. AUTHOR'S PREFACE During the seventeenth century, in the last years of the Ming dynasty and the early years of the Manchu dynasty, the thriving southern city of Yangzhou was
the most prosperous place in China. More than two centuries later, as theManchu dynasty gave way to the Republic, the great city of Shanghai took theplace of Yangzhou. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China in1949, all of that bustle and energy, that capitalist mixture of prosperity anddecadence,movedto Hong Kong.Ibegan writing The Deer and the Cauldron thinking I might create a somewhatunconventional Martial Arts novel, set against thebackdrop of thebustlingcityof Yangzhou.But then the main character of the novel came along.Thatmischievous rascal Trinket simply got out of control! He himself came toembody the spirit of decadence in traditional Chinese culture. He turned TheDeer and the. Cauldron into a very strange novel, a novel I had never imaginedwriting.Martial Arts fiction is a very particular genre in Chinese literature, one whichgoes back a very long way. Actually, the Chinese term, wuxia xiaoshuo, reallymeansfiction about Chineseknights-errant,orwandering swordsmen.It canbe traced all the way back to the Han dynasty, to the 'Biographies of theWandering Swordsmen' in Sima Qian's Historical Records, written at thebeginning of the first century BC. Later, during the Tang dynasty, there werefine stories written on such themes in the classical literary language, storieslike'Curly Beard','Red Thread', and The Kunlun Slave'.The Song dynasty sawmanymore such tales,this time written in the common spoken language, andduring the Yuan and Ming dynasties the great vernacular novel Water Marginwas created.Duringthe Manchu dynasty the Martial Arts genre flourished, andthis continued right through the Republican era. After 1949, the tradition onlysurvived in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and, although recently writers have begunproducing Martial Arts novels again in the Mainland, so far no outstandingwork has emerged there.There is nothing quite like Martial Arts fiction in the Western literary tradition.TherearecertainsimilaritieswiththeworksofWalter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexandra Dumas pere, and ProsperMerimee.Buttherearealsohugedifferences.If someoneweretotrvtoexplainMartial Arts fiction to a Western reader by simply calling it 'kung fu fiction',that person would be guilty either ofextreme ignorance, or ofexcessive laziness.There is something more subtle involved. Western people believe in theChristian faith.Their idea of what is right is determined by God andinterpreted for them by their priests.The Chinese have no pronouncedreligious sense.They have to decide for themselves what is right. If somethingis not right, if there is injustice, the weak may submit to it; but the strong willresist, they will often go to the aid of others, and be willing to sacrificethemselves in so doing. This is the spirit of the Chinese knight-errant. If a
the most prosperous place in China. More than two centuries later, as the Manchu dynasty gave way to the Republic, the great city of Shanghai took the place of Yangzhou. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, all of that bustle and energy, that capitalist mixture of prosperity and decadence, moved to Hong Kong. I began writing The Deer and the Cauldron thinking I might create a somewhat unconventional Martial Arts novel, set against the backdrop of the bustling city of Yangzhou. But then the main character of the novel came along. That mischievous rascal Trinket simply got out of control! He himself came to embody the spirit of decadence in traditional Chinese culture. He turned The Deer and the. Cauldron into a very strange novel, a novel I had never imagined writing. Martial Arts fiction is a very particular genre in Chinese literature, one which goes back a very long way. Actually, the Chinese term, wuxia xiaoshuo, really means fiction about Chinese knights-errant, or wandering swordsmen. It can be traced all the way back to the Han dynasty, to the 'Biographies of the Wandering Swordsmen' in Sima Qian's Historical Records, written at the beginning of the first century BC. Later, during the Tang dynasty, there were fine stories written on such themes in the classical literary language, stories like 'Curly Beard', 'Red Thread', and The Kunlun Slave'. The Song dynasty saw many more such tales, this time written in the common spoken language, and during the Yuan and Ming dynasties the great vernacular novel Water Margin was created. During the Manchu dynasty the Martial Arts genre flourished, and this continued right through the Republican era. After 1949, the tradition only survived in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and, although recently writers have begun producing Martial Arts novels again in the Mainland, so far no outstanding work has emerged there. There is nothing quite like Martial Arts fiction in the Western literary tradition. There are certain similarities with the works of Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexandra Dumas pere, and Prosper Merimee. But there are also huge differences. If someone were to try to explain Martial Arts fiction to a Western reader by simply calling it 'kung fu fiction', that person would be guilty either of extreme ignorance, or of excessive laziness. There is something more subtle involved. Western people believe in the Christian faith. Their idea of what is right is determined by God and interpreted for them by their priests. The Chinese have no pronounced religious sense. They have to decide for themselves what is right. If something is not right, if there is injustice, the weak may submit to it; but the strong will resist, they will often go to the aid of others, and be willing to sacrifice themselves in so doing. This is the spirit of the Chinese knight-errant. If a
knight-errant employs Martial Arts skills to achieve that chivalrous, altruisticend,that is a fit subject for Martial Arts fiction.The Deer and the Cauldron presents Chinese culture in an overripe phase.There is something distinctly decadent about many of the characters and thephenomena portrayed in the novel. Deer seeks, often in caricature, to conveysomething of the less-admirable human qualities that were manifested duringthis early encounter between China and various less-developed non-Chinesepeoples.I am most grateful to John Minford for all the time and effort he has put intotranslating this novel of mine into English. His father-in-law David Hawkes hasalso honoured me greatly by contributing so much to thetranslation, although(in the spirit of modesty to be expected of such a fine scholar) he has notwished his name to appear on the book itself. Some years ago when I was atOxford University, I had hoped I might be able to be one of his students. Alashe had already retired into the Welsh hills! I must also thank his daughterRachel, John's wife,for the excellent job she has done as editor. And finally,mythanks go to Oxford University Press, for agreeing to publish my work, It willbring me happiness if Western readers can discover in these pages somethingof what makes this form of fiction so especially Chinese.LouisCHAHong Kong August 1997CONTENTSAuthor'sPrefaceTranslator's IntroductionImportant Dates in the Historical BackgroundGlossaryof Peopleand PlacesGeneralGlossaryofTermsNote on PronunciationPrologue-In which Three Ming Loyalists discuss the Manchu Persecution, theMing History, the Beggars Guild, and the Triad Secret SocietyThe Deer and the Cauldron-The Ming History-By the Slow Process-The
knight-errant employs Martial Arts skills to achieve that chivalrous, altruistic end, that is a fit subject for Martial Arts fiction. The Deer and the Cauldron presents Chinese culture in an overripe phase. There is something distinctly decadent about many of the characters and the phenomena portrayed in the novel. Deer seeks, often in caricature, to convey something of the less-admirable human qualities that were manifested during this early encounter between China and various less-developed non-Chinese peoples. I am most grateful to John Minford for all the time and effort he has put into translating this novel of mine into English. His father-in-law David Hawkes has also honoured me greatly by contributing so much to the translation, although (in the spirit of modesty to be expected of such a fine scholar) he has not wished his name to appear on the book itself. Some years ago when I was at Oxford University, I had hoped I might be able to be one of his students. Alas, he had already retired into the Welsh hills! I must also thank his daughter Rachel, John's wife, for the excellent job she has done as editor. And finally, my thanks go to Oxford University Press, for agreeing to publish my work. It will bring me happiness if Western readers can discover in these pages something of what makes this form of fiction so especially Chinese. Louis CHA Hong Kong August 1997 CONTENTS Author's Preface Translator's Introduction Important Dates in the Historical Background Glossary of People and Places General Glossary of Terms Note on Pronunciation Prologue—In which Three Ming Loyalists discuss the Manchu Persecution, the Ming History, the Beggars Guild, and the Triad Secret Society The Deer and the Cauldron—The Ming History—By the Slow Process—The
Beggar inthe Snow-Beggars andTriads-The Scholarin theDoorwayChapter 1-In which Trinket and Whiskers set out from Yangzhou for theCapital; of their Adventures on the Way; and of the Stories Trinket tellsconcerning the Golden Age, Heroes and Mongols, Turtles, Elephants, and MiceYangzhou, City of Pleasure-Trinket and Whiskers become acquainted on theRoad toVictoryHill-GoateeWuandBaldyWang-TheTroopersArrive-Trinket on Horseback-The Satrap's Men-Whiskers the Would-beMaster-Trinket the StorytellerChapter 2-In which Whiskers and Trinket reach Peking, and encounter aQueerOldEunuchWresders and Eunuchs-Whiskers, Trinket, and Hai Goong-goong-A Drug,aDagger, and a Getaway-A Corpse, a Chamber-pot, a Suit of Clothes, anUnusual Powder, and Pus-The Dice are Loaded-Donkeys-PatisseriePekinoiseChapter3-FurtherAdventuresofTrinketintheCapitalA Sparring Partner-Trinket is Asked to Steal a Sutra-Foolproof Moves-Liveor Die!-TrinketTakesa Lesson inKungfu-Stork and Monkey-TheArcher-Tamardy!-Short Cuts-Trinket makes a Deal-The Upper Library-TheImperial GuardianChapter 4-Trinket the EunuchA Loyal and Devoted Subject-The Secret is Out- Punting the BoatDownstream-MercifulGuanyinofaThousandHands-EightTrigramsoftheRoving Dragon-Oboi against the Odds-The Aftermath- The EmpressDowager-A Weird Old Fellow-Oboi's Mansion:Sworn Brothers-AnInventory, a Sword, and a Waistcoat-BlossomChapter 5-Inwhich Trinketbecomes more deeply embroiled in PalaceIntrigueOf Soup and Poison, and Other Things-Trinket keeps an Assignation-TheOld Devil and the Old Whore-Mortal Combat-Not a Healdiy Place to BeChapter 6-In which Trinket is promoted; Oboi is killed; and Trinketeavesdropsona StruggleforSuccession
Beggar in the Snow—Beggars and Triads—The Scholar in the Doorway Chapter 1—In which Trinket and Whiskers set out from Yangzhou for the Capital; of their Adventures on the Way; and of the Stories Trinket tells concerning the Golden Age, Heroes and Mongols, Turtles, Elephants, and Mice Yangzhou, City of Pleasure—Trinket and Whiskers become acquainted on the Road to Victory Hill—Goatee Wu and Baldy Wang—The Troopers Arrive—Trinket on Horseback—The Satrap's Men—Whiskers the Would-be Master—Trinket the Storyteller Chapter 2—In which Whiskers and Trinket reach Peking, and encounter a Queer Old Eunuch Wresders and Eunuchs—Whiskers, Trinket, and Hai Goong-goong—A Drug, a Dagger, and a Getaway—A Corpse, a Chamber-pot, a Suit of Clothes, an Unusual Powder, and Pus—The Dice are Loaded—Donkeys— Patisserie Pekinoise Chapter 3—Further Adventures of Trinket in the Capital A Sparring Partner—Trinket is Asked to Steal a Sutra— Foolproof Moves—Live or Die!—Trinket Takes a Lesson in Kungfu—Stork and Monkey—The Archer— Tamardy!—Short Cuts—Trinket makes a Deal—The Upper Library—The Imperial Guardian Chapter 4—Trinket the Eunuch A Loyal and Devoted Subject—The Secret is Out— Punting the Boat Downstream—Merciful Guanyin of a Thousand Hands—Eight Trigrams of the Roving Dragon—Oboi against the Odds—The Aftermath— The Empress Dowager—A Weird Old Fellow—Oboi's Mansion: Sworn Brothers—An Inventory, a Sword, and a Waistcoat—Blossom Chapter 5—In which Trinket becomes more deeply embroiled in Palace Intrigue Of Soup and Poison, and Other Things—Trinket keeps an Assignation—The Old Devil and the Old Whore—Mortal Combat—Not a Healdiy Place to Be Chapter 6—In which Trinket is promoted; Oboi is killed; and Trinket eavesdrops on a Struggle for Succession