The Rescue in Wild Boar Forest

 

Adapted by Zhao Ji’nan, Li Dafa & Zhu Jinshan, illustrated by Dai Hongqian & Dai Dunbang (Zhaohua Publishing House, Beijing)
No ISBN

This is the second chapter in the epic saga of wronged man Lin Chong, who survived wrongful accusation and the treachery of his superiors to become one of the legendary 108 heroes of Mount Liangshan. The Imperial Arms Instructor who would eventually overthrow the corrupt and decadent ruling class of Imperial China, has escaped execution but is banished to the remote prison at Cangzhou.

This slightly abridged version sees the devastated nobleman forced-marched across the wilderness in the charge of two guards who have been bribed to murder him at the first opportunity, and after many tortures and tricks they attempt this in the eponymous forest only to be thwarted by the terrifying Buddhist priest Sagacious Lu who defeats them and makes them carry the prisoner all the way to his destination, safely delivering him to the Warden and Head Keeper.

But the reach of his enemies is long and these men are also eventually bribed to destroy Lin Chong. Allowing him to attain a profitable post outside the prison confines, they attempt to murder him in a snow storm but the hero turns the tables and kills his assailants, before making his escape into the snowy wastes, now a full outlaw and fugitive…

These beautiful adaptations are based on the classic novel “Outlaws of the Marsh” by Shi Nai’an of the Ming Dynasty. First published in China in the mid fourteenth century, the story is actually set in the early twelfth century, in the Northern Song area.

The illustrators for this edition are Dai Hongqian and Dai Dunbang, and their highly stylised black and white paintings have a much more abstract quality than Yan Meihua who produced the previous volume. Also, it’s perhaps jarring to western eyes to see the lead character absolutely unrecognisable. The details are simply not as important as the overall texture in this graphic culture, so once he’s identified as the hero, nobody cares that he doesn’t match his previous appearance. Best to just accept and be swept along in the wake of this superb heroic drama, which formed the basis for the cult TV series The Water Margin.

© 1982 Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.