Empire and Challenger

Comprehending the adoration for Jing Ke

荆轲刺秦王
刺客
The Assassins (aka Nizari Ismailis),
 The Assassins (aka Nizari Ismailis), were a heretical group of Shiite
Muslims who were powerful in Persia and Syria from the 11th
century CE until their defeat at the hands of the Mongols in the mid-
13th century CE. Secure in their fortified hilltop castles, they
became infamous for their strategy of singling out opposition
figures and murdering them, usually in knife-wielding teams. The
group was known as the Assassins by their enemies in reference to
their use of hashish, 'assassin' being a corruption of the Arabic hasisi
('hashish-eater'), and so the name has since come to be associated
with their chief modus operandi, the act of murder for political or
religious purposes. The Nizari Ismailis continue to exist as a branch
of Islam today.
Cì kè 刺客 == a man that stabs

 Kè ： a wanderer ， a guest (who is not in his

native place, someone with certain skills.
 Jianke 剑客 : swordsman
 Daoke 刀客 : knifeman ， sometimes referring to
a bandit or robber
 The assassination of Julius Caesar was a conspiracy of several
Roman senators, notably led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Cassius Longinus
and Decimus Junius Brutus, at the end of the Roman Republic. They
stabbed Caesar to death in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March
(15 March) 44 BC. (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Julius_Caesar)
Famous assassinations in the past 200 years

 President Abraham Lincoln

 ( February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)

 Gandhi was shot on 30 January 1948 by the Hindu fanatic

Nathuram Godse. Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi. The 20th
century's most famous apostle of non-violence himself met
a violent end.
 John Fitzgerald Kennedy
 (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

 Martin Luther King, jr. assassinated on 4 April 1968.

 1, Earliest source of the assassins’ stories
 The Records of the Grand Historian （ Shiji ）《史记》
 Sima Qian 司马迁 (145? -86? B.C.E.)
 From the Yellow Emperor 黄帝 to Han Wudi 汉武帝 (157-87 B.C.E.)
 98 B.C.E., defended General Li Ling 李陵 , who had surrendered to
the
 Xiongnu 匈奴 He angered Emperor Wu of the Han and was
castrated. 腐刑（閹割）
 “… the reason I have not refused to bear these ills and have continued
to live, dwelling among this filth, is that I grieve that I have things in
my heart that I have not been able to express fully, and I am ashamed to
think that after I am gone my writings will not be known to
posterity…”
 130 chapters, 5 sections
 Biographies – military leaders, politicians, philosophers,
famous assassins, upright officials, tyrannical officials,
wandering knights, imperial favorites, and merchants.
Unflattering on Han Wudi (Emperor Wu of the Han)
 The role of history and value judgement
 Scorned the cunning and the evil
 Celebrated the virtues and/or accomplishments of the
individuals
2, Historical Background
Spring and Autumn Period (770-403 B.C.E)
春秋时代

Warring States Period (402-221 B.C.E) 战国

时代
“When the dao does not prevail in the world, li (ritual),
music, and punitive military actions proceed on the orders of
the feudal lords.” 天下无道，则礼乐征伐自诸侯出。

-- The Analects of Confucius 《论语》 16.2

 Envisioning a New World Order
 Hundred Schools of Thought 诸子百家
 The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought 百家争鸣

 The Confucians 儒家
 The Kingly Way 王道
 Taking the Sage-Kings of antiquity 圣王 as models
 Respecting the legitimacy of the Zhou court 尊周
 From morality to politics, self-cultivation to governance
 Humanness/humanity 仁 ; civility 文 ; 义 propriety
 Rituals and music 礼乐
 The Legalists 法家
• Strong, centralized government
• Denounced moral authority of the Sage-Kings,
emphasized the authority of ruling monarch
• Rule of state law, rejected special privileges of the noble
elites
• Censorship of thoughts
 German-Jewish poet, Heinrich Heine: "Wherever books are burned,
human beings are destined to be burned too."
 State of Qin 秦
 Successful military campaigns to unite China
 Associated with tyranny 霸道 and the military 武
 The empire’s logic – bringing an end to the chaos
 Qin shihuang 秦始皇 (259 – 210BCE) ； Ying Zheng 嬴政
 Zou Yan 鄒衍 The Five Phases“ 五德终始说”
 The Yin-yang school 阴阳
• Connected cosmic order and histories
• Five phases 五行

• The conquest cycle 相克 (mutual conquest)

• wood 木 × earth 土 × water 水 × Fire 火 × metal 金
• 邹衍：“五德从所不胜，虞土、夏木、殷金、周火。”木剋土、
金剋木、火剋金、水剋火、土剋水。黑色属于水，所以秦朝崇尚
黑色。
The generation cycle 相生 (mutual production) 五行相生：木→火→土→金→水

Wood Fire Earth Metal Water

East South Centre West North

Spring Summer Autumn Winter

Green Red Yellow White Black

Green dragon Vermilion Bird White Tiger Black Tortoise

青龙 朱雀 白虎 玄武
 The assassins’ stories 刺客列传 :Yu Rang 豫让
The most miserable and unfortunate assassin in Chinese History

 The Earl of Zhi 智伯 treated him with great respect and honor. Yu
Rong was a retainer 门下客 .
 Viscount Xiang 赵襄子 killed the Earl and had his skull lacquered
and used it as a drinking vessel.
 Yu Rang fled into the mountains. “Alas, a knight dies for the one
who appreciates him, a woman dresses for the one who pleases her.”
士为知己者死，女为悦己者容。
 Three attempts of assassinating the Viscount.

 1. He changed his name, disguised himself as a convict-laborer, and entered the

[viscount's] residence to plaster the outhouse. He stuffed a dagger inside his clothes,
intending to stab Viscount Xiang with it.
 2. Yu Rang lacquered his body to produce skin ulcers, and swallowed charcoal to
hoarsen his voice; having rendered his appearance unrecognizable, he went begging
in the marketplace. His wife did not recognize him. On the road he saw his friend. His
friend recognized him: ''Aren't you Yu Rang?" "I am.“ ( 漆身为厉，吞炭为哑 )
 3, Yu Rang hid under a bridge he expected [Viscount Xiang] would cross. When
Viscount Xiang reached the bridge, his [carriage] horses flinched. "This must be Yu
Rang!"
 至于智伯，国士遇我，我故国士报之。
 Viscount Xiang then berated Yu Rang: "Didn't you once serve the clans
of Fan and Zhonghang? The Earl of Zhi destroyed them both, yet you
didn't avenge them, but instead laid down your pledge and served the
Earl of Zhi as vassal. Why are you so determined to avenge only his
death?"
 Yu Rang said, "I served the clans of Fan and Zhonghang, and the clans
of Fan and Zhonghang treated me as an ordinary man; therefore I
repaid them as I would an ordinary man. As for the Earl of Zhi, he
treated me as one of the greatest knights of his state, and so I will repay
him as I would one of the greatest knights of the state.“
Jing Ke 荆轲 （？ - 227 B.C.E ） The most famous
assassin in Chinese history
 The Records of the Grand Historian – Biographies of
Assassin-Retainers
 State of Han 韩 was conquered, and the state of Zhao 赵
was collapsing, state of Yan 燕 would be next.
 Crown Prince of Yan, named Dan 燕太子丹
 The gifts that Jing Ke brought included the head of a
fugitive Qin general, Fan Wuqi 樊於期 , and a map of the
Dukang 督亢 region of Yan, a token of submission.
 The prince and all his retainers knew of the plan, and all of them went
to see [Jing Ke] off, wearing white [mourning] clothes. When they
arrived at the Yi river, they performed the sacrifice and selected the
route. Gao Jianli struck up the zither, and Jing Ke accompanied him,
singing in a [mournful] pitch. Tears streamed from the eyes of all the
men present. Jing Ke then advanced and sang the song:

风萧萧兮 Xiao xiao cries the wind

易水寒 Yi waters are cold;
壯士一去兮 Brave men, once gone,
不复还 Never come back!
 Shifting to a [martial] yu 羽 pitch, he became greatly
inspired; and the eyes of all the men flashed with anger,
and their hair bristled beneath the caps.

 Jing Ke then mounted the carriage and set off, never

looking back again.
 Jing Ke’s companion, Qin Wuyang 秦舞阳 ,
became fear-stricken.
 The king of Qin rolled open the map, the
drugged dagger was hidden at the end 图穷
匕见 .
 The king tried to escape, running around the pillar of the
court and failed to draw his long sword; the officials were
unable to help, as they were not allowed to carry weapons;
the guards were stationed beneath the court and forbidden to
enter it without the king’s order.

 The king managed to draw his sword and wounded Jing Ke,
who in despair threw his dagger at the king, striking instead
the pillar.
 Latter day commemoration
Tao Yuanming 陶渊明
（ 352/365 – 427 ） , poet “In praise of Jing Ke” 咏荆轲

 Prince Dan of Yan knew how to treat a man; his

 燕丹善养士，志在报强嬴。
aim was vengeance on mighty Ying (Qin).
 He long had looked for the man worth a hundred;
 招集百夫良，岁暮得荆卿。
and then as the years ran out he got Jing Ke.
 A gentleman will die for one who knows his worth;
 君子死知己，提剑出燕京。 with sword in hand he left Yan’s capital.
 The white stallion whinnying through the streets;
 素骥鸣广陌，慷慨送我行。 with high resolve, they sent me off.
 雄发指危冠，猛气冲长缨  The hero’s hair thrusts through his high
hat; his valor saturates the long
capstring.
 饮饯易水上，四座列群英。  A farewell cup beside the River Yi;
around him sit the heroes of the realm.
 Gao Jianli strikes the sad zither; Song Yi
 渐离击悲筑，宋意唱高声。 sings the high-pitched mournful song.
 A plaintive wind begins its lonely wail;
the cold waves surge in the swelling
 萧萧哀风逝，淡淡寒波生。 flood.
 With the Shang mode tune the tears flow
 商音更流涕，羽奏壮士惊。 fast; when the yu is sang, (the tune)
struck the heroes.
 He knows he will leave and never return;
 心知去不归，且有后世名。 but after him his name will live forever.
 登车何时顾，飞盖入秦庭。  He mounted his carriage and never once
looked back; canopy flying, he headed
for the court of Qin.
 凌厉越万里，逶迤过千城。  Straight for his goal he dashed, ten
thousand miles; around and through a
thousand towns he drove.
 When the map unrolled, the dagger was
 图穷事自至，豪主正怔营。
revealed; even the intrepid ruler drew
back in fear.
 惜哉剑术疏，奇功遂不成。  Alas, that his swordsmanship was faulty;
and left the unimaginable deed undone!
 Although the man is long since dead and
 其人虽已没，千载有余情。
gone; after a thousand years he inspires
us still.

adopted from James R Hightower

Modern echo
 Qiu Jin 秋瑾 （1875-1907）
 The Precious Blade Poem 宝刀歌
 … … 不观荆柯作秦客，图穷匕首见盈尺，
Have you not seen Jing Ke coming as an assassin-retainer to Qin?
The map completely unrolled, the foot-long dagger had been exposed.
 殿前一击虽不中，巳夺专制魔王魄… …
Although his attempt missed [the emperor] in front of the audience hall,
He still succeeded to scare to death the Devil King of tyranny.
Hero, explained
 Sympathetic treatment of tragic heroes

 Exemplars of utmost loyalty to the people

 Jing Ke as a symbol of fighting against a tyrant

 The ultimate courage of Jing Ke

 The need of each generation when Jing Ke

was “relived”
 Zhang Yimou's "Hero": Reclaiming the Martial Arts Film for "All
under Heaven"
Author(s): Feng Lan

 “Throughout Chinese history, Confucianism was always

seen to invest the agency of redeeming tianxia in an
authoritarian ruler, albeit an enlightened one, because the
Confucian tradition was never able to find or design a
compelling and efficacious sociopolitical system that could
ensure the establishment as well as the operation of a
people-oriented, rather than ruler-oriented, tianxia (Domain
under the Heaven).
Quote continues

 This unresolved problem is bound, in the

postmodern age, to undermine Chinese
intellectuals' undertaking to reinstate the tianxia
ideology as the foundation of a new global order.”
Yuri Pines
A Hero Terrorist: Adoration of Jing Ke Revisited

 “Chen Kaige chose to side with Jing Ke. To justify

the assassination attempt, he opted to blacken the
First Emperor to the extent that is reminiscent of
the Han period’s anti-Qin invectives.
 Quote continues
 In contrast to his colleague and friend-competitor,
Zhang Yimou interpreted the story in a much
more pro-Qin way. Yet his unequivocal
confirmation of the desirability of the Qin-led
unification led him to recast the assassination
story in an entirely novel way.”