Bao Zheng

Justice Bao (包青天;pinyin: Bāo qīngtiān)
Bao Zheng
包拯
Personal details
Born(999-03-05)5 March 999
Shenxian, Hefei, Luzhou, Northern Song
Died3 July 1062(1062-07-03) (aged 63)
Kaifeng, Northern Song
Resting placeBaogong Cemetery, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, China
31°51′27.17″N 117°17′56.39″E / 31.8575472°N 117.2989972°E / 31.8575472; 117.2989972
Spouses
  • Lady Zhang (張氏)
  • Lady Dong (董氏)
Domestic partnerLady Sun (孙氏)
Children
  • Bao Yi (son), with Lady Dong
  • 2 daughters, with Lady Dong
  • Bao Shou (son), with Lady Sun
Parent
  • Bao Lingyi (father)
EducationJinshi
OccupationPolitician & Imperial General Inspector
Known forChinese cultural personification of justice
Full nameSurname: Bāo ()
Given name: Zhěng ()
Courtesy name: Xīrén ()
Posthumous name: Xiàosù ()
Other names
  • Bao Wenzheng (包文正)
  • Bao Xiren (包希仁)
  • Bao Gong (包公)
  • Bao Qingtian (包青天)
  • Bao Longtu (包龙图)
  • Bao Fu Qiansui (包府千岁)
  • Yanluo Tianzi (阎罗天子)
  • Bao Heizi (包黑子)
  • Bao Heitan (包黑炭)
Bao Zheng
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBāo Zhěng
Wade–GilesPao1 Cheng3
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationBaau1 Ching2
JyutpingBaau1 Cing2
Southern Min
Hokkien POJPau Chín
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCBău Cīng
from Illustrations of the Three Powers (1609)

Bao Zheng (包拯; Bāo Zhěng; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (包公; Bāo Gōng; 'Lord Bao'), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao was known for his honesty and uprightness, with actions such as impeaching an uncle of Emperor Renzong's favourite concubine and punishing powerful families. His appointment from 1057 to 1058 as the prefect of Song's capital Kaifeng, where he initiated a number of changes to better hear the grievances of the people, made him a legendary figure. During his years in office, he gained the honorific title Justice Bao (Chinese: 包青天; pinyin: Bāo qīngtiān) due to his ability to defend peasants and commoners against corruption or injustice. Bao Zheng is depicted as the incarnation of the Astral God of Civil Arts (Wenquxing, 文曲星), while another protagonist — famous Northern Song warrior Di Qing as the Astral God of Military Arts (Wuquxing, 武曲星).[1]

Bao Zheng today is honored as the cultural symbol of justice in Chinese society. His largely fictionalized gong'an and wuxia stories have appeared in a variety of different literary and dramatic mediums (beginning with The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants), and have enjoyed sustained popularity. In mainstream Chinese mythology, he is often portrayed wearing a judge's zhanjiao futou hat and a crescent moon on his forehead. Some Chinese provinces later deified Judge Bao, equating him to the benevolent war god Guan Gong.

  1. ^ Idema, Wilt Lukas (23 December 2009). "Introduction to Judge Bao and the Rule of Law: Eight Ballad-Stories from the Period 1250-1450" (PDF). Social Science Research Network. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)