Song Qing (Water Margin)

Song Qing is the younger brother of Song Jiang. While Song Jiang is famous in jianghu (the scofflaw community) for his chivalry, Song Qing keeps a low profile and devotes himself to taking care of their father and managing the family properties in Yuncheng County.

After killing his mistress Yan Poxi in a fit of anger, Song Jiang, who works as a clerk of Yuncheng's magistrate, goes back to hide in his father's house. Although sent to arrest him, the chief constable Zhu Tong lets him off after catching him hiding in a pit in the house. Song Jiang decides to seek refuge in the house of nobleman Chai Jin. He travels there with Song Qing.

Later Song Qing returns home alone while Song Jiang moves to the Kong Family Manor at Mount White Tiger. He subsequently shifts to Hua Rong's house at Qingfeng Fort. While there, he gets into trouble with its governor Liu Gao and sparks a battle between his bandit friends at Mount Qingfeng and Qingzhou, the prefecture that oversees Qingfeng Fort.

Despite their victory, Song Jiang, Hua Rong and the bandits of Mount Qingfeng, fearing that Qingzhou would send a bigger force, decamp to join Liangshan Marsh, whose bandit chiefs are Song's friends. On the way, Song Jiang runs into Shi Yong in an inn, who has a letter from Song Qing in which he says their father has passed on and urges him to rush home for the funeral. Upon reaching home in great grief and post-haste, Song Jiang is shocked to find his father alive and well. In fact, Song Qing has written the letter as instructed by their father, who fears Song Jiang will tarnish their family's reputation by falling in with outlaws.

Inevitably Song Jiang is arrested at home for the murder of Yan Poxi. He is exiled to a prison camp in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi).

Song Jiang finally joins Liangshan after getting into more trouble in Jiangzhou, where he was nearly executed. Worried that his family will be implicated, Song, then second-in-command of Liangshan, goes back to Yuncheng personally to fetch his father and brother. Song Qing thus becomes a member of Liangshan.

Song Qing is placed in charge of organising banquets after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.

Song Qing is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survive all the campaigns. Although he receives an appointment from the emperor, Song Qing declines it, choosing to return home to tend to his family's properties for the rest of his life.

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Miyazaki, Ichisada (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. 153. 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.