Jin Dajian

Jin Dajian is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Armed Craftsman", he ranks 66th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 30th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Jin Dajian is a craftsman living in Jizhou (濟州; around present-day Jining and Heze, Shandong). Due to his excellent skills in making seals, stone tablets and jade carvings decorated with exquisite patterns, he earns himself the nickname "Jade Armed Craftsman". He is a friend of Wu Yong, the chief strategist of the outlaw band based at Liangshan Marsh.

Becoming an outlaw

When Song Jiang is living in exile in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), he gets drunk on one occasion, writes a seditious poem on a wall, and forgets about it when he becomes sober. Huang Wenbing, a petty official, discovers the poem and reports it to Cai Jiu, the governor of Jiangzhou. As a result, Song Jiang gets arrested and thrown into prison. Unsure of how to handle Song Jiang's case, Cai Jiu orders Dai Zong to deliver a letter to his father, Imperial Tutor Cai Jing, to seek his advice.

Instead of delivering the letter, Dai Zong heads to Liangshan Marsh to seek help from the outlaws, who regard Song Jiang as their ally. During this time, Wu Yong suggests that they forge a letter in Cai Jing's name to order Cai Jiu to have Song Jiang escorted as a prisoner to the imperial capital to await further action. With Dai Zong's help, Wu Yong recruits Jin Dajian and Xiao Rang to help in forging the letter. Xiao Rang, who is skilled in imitating famous persons' calligraphy, writes the letter in Cai Jing's handwriting; Jin Dajian completes the picture by carving an official seal similar to Cai Jing's, and stamps it on the letter.

After Dai Zong returns to Jiangzhou with the fake letter, Cai Jiu initially does not sense anything amiss. However, Huang Wenbing spots a critical mistake in the letter and exposes the fraud. A furious Cai Jiu then orders Song Jiang and Dai Zong to be executed in public. Nevertheless, Wu Yong had realised the mistake after Dai Zong left, and had instructed the Liangshan outlaws to make their way to Jiangzhou. Just as Song Jiang and Dai Zong are about to be beheaded, the Liangshan outlaws show up, storm the execution ground and save them.

Campaigns

Jin Dajian is placed in charge of carving official seals after the 108 Stars of Destiny come together in what is called the "Grand Assembly". He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong.

During the campaign against Wang Qing's rebel forces, Xiao Rang, Jin Dajian and Pei Xuan are captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Jingnan (荊南; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei). Despite being tortured, they refuse to surrender and reveal information about the Liangshan forces. They are freed when Xiao Jiasui and others rise up and help the Liangshan forces defeat the rebels and retake Jingnan.

Before the Liangshan heroes leave for their final campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Emperor Huizong summons Jin Dajian back to Dongjing (東京; present-day Kaifeng, Henan), the imperial capital. As a result, Jin Dajian does not participate in the last of the campaigns, which cost the lives of about two-thirds of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He remains in Dongjing and serves as an imperial craftsman in the palace for the rest of his life.

References

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
• Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 133. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
• Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.