The Story of Sanmen Street, Part One

AnonymousJun 2024

2.8

Word count: 95K words
Chapters: 42

Summary

Sanmen Street Chronicles, Part One, a chapter-form novel also known as The Complete Tale of Eight Swords, Seven Heroes, and Fifteen Righteous Brothers Quelling the Southern Barbarians, is of unknown authorship.

For readers who enjoy classical fiction, this book is worth reading.

It tells legendary stories of heroic men and valiant women—brave, wise, and relentless in punishing the wicked and upholding justice.

During the Zhengde reign of Emperor Wuzong of Ming, the eunuch Liu Jin abused his power and colluded with the Right Chancellor Shi Hongji to persecute countless loyal and good people; and so many heroes, loyal daughters, and righteous men arose.

The beleaguered hero Hong Jin and his sister Jinyun were harmed by Shi Yuanzhi, son of Shi Hongji, but were fortunately rescued by Li Guang, descendant of a loyal line. Guided by the Great White Venus, Li Guang led a band of sworn brothers to punish the wicked and uphold justice, to the great satisfaction of the common people.

When Liu Jin and Shi Hongji sought to murder the emperor and seize the throne, plunging the court into dire peril, Li Guang and his men descended like divine troops; the rebel army fled to the Red-Haired Kingdom. The king of the Red-Haired Kingdom invaded Guangdong's borders and was again crushingly defeated by Li Guang and Chu Yun.

Thus the loyal and good achieved merit and fame, received imperial favor in the golden hall, and each was united in a worthy marriage.

Editor's review

Also known as The Complete Story of the Eight Swords, Seven Heroes, and Fifteen Righteous Avengers Quelling the Barbarians, this book has no known author and belongs to the chapter-linked (zhanghui) tradition of chivalric fiction. Set during the Zhengde reign of the Ming emperor Wuzong, the story follows the loyalist descendant Li Guang who, under the guidance of the planet Venus, gathers his sworn brothers to punish the wicked and uphold justice while the eunuch Liu Jin and the right chancellor Shi Hongji collude in usurping power. Ultimately they thwart Liu Jin and Shi Hongji's plot to assassinate the emperor and seize the throne, defeat the red-haired invaders attacking Guangdong, win honor and glory, and each find a worthy match. The large cast and interwoven plotlines set loyalty against treachery in sharp relief; the heroines and righteous men are brave and shrewd, and the pace is brisk with virtue rewarded and vice punished. Its value lies in preserving the narrative pleasures and moral imagination of popular chapter fiction, making it a good introductory read for this genre. Readers may note the division of roles among the sworn brotherhood, the way supernatural episodes drive the plot, and the era's assumptions behind the 'quelling the barbarians' narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classical chapter-linked fiction and prefer chivalric and court-case tales
General readers interested in loyalty-versus-treachery conflicts and brotherhood ensemble narratives
Literature enthusiasts who want to understand the narrative conventions of popular vernacular fiction
Readers seeking light entertainment who are comfortable with traditional vernacular prose

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous historical scholarship and demand corroboration from primary sources
Readers who find supernatural guidance and karmic retribution hard to accept
Readers unaccustomed to the many names and parallel plotlines of chapter-linked fiction

Reading tips

First clarify the main relationships among Liu Jin, Shi Hongji, and Li Guang's faction before entering the plot.
Proceed chapter by chapter, briefly noting newly introduced characters after each to avoid confusing names.
Treat supernatural episodes as narrative devices and note how they drive turns and resolutions.
When reaching the 'quelling the barbarians' section, consider its Chinese-barbarian conceptions from a contemporary perspective.

版权信息
序
第一回杭州城英雄落难招商店小姐卖身
第二回因吓致恨巧赚英豪以假作真误投相府
第三回以讹传讹错骂李广将计计毒打教头
第四回丑公子求欢被辱莽丈夫任侠遭擒
第五回李孟尝仗义闹相府史太郡谢罪责孙儿
第六回郡主知情莽夫遇赦英雄聚首母女重逢
第七回顾儿思媳决计议婚核实存名尚义居心
第八回感高义暗结朱陈动归心遽回故乡
第九回史相府设计害英雄玉皇阁乘醉捉妖魅
第十回李广降妖得铠甲洪锦被盗劫箱笼
第十一回县令糊涂讳言贼盗英雄困厄怒杀土豪
第十二回惹飞灾洪锦下死牢设毒计费五卖孤女
第十三回随波逐浪老母重生劫狱翻监英雄遇救
第十四回莽头陀酒楼遇豪杰奸贼子河岸夺娇娃
第十五回行幻术戏语画梁间救佳人隐身奸贼府
第十六回移花接木小姐无踪怪状奇形王妃变像
第十七回玉面虎大开招英馆武潘安幸遇美郎君
第十八回武潘安谑戏莽和尚烟葫芦预定母夜叉
第十九回胡逵大闹招英馆锦屏摆擂平山堂
第二十回史锦屏独败众英雄俏张郎巧戏娇郡主
第二十一回逞归鞭惊艳薜萝村思美色挑衅蓬莱馆
第二十二回思报复二打蓬莱馆求结纳急走蒲家林
第二十三回报前仇三打蓬莱馆争美色大闹聚雄堂
第二十四回避强人暂落慈云院讨美女独上晋家庄
第二十五回小丫环巧救俏郎君醋大娘毒打蠢公子
第二十六回桃僵李代设想非常倚玉偎香坐怀不乱
第二十七回识破行藏盟山誓海相逢邂逅握手谈心
第二十八回开铁弓幸遇分牛虎谈往事议打蒲家林
第二十九回报前仇恢复蓬莱馆仗大义剿灭蒲家林
第三十回桑黛诚心求美女张珏幻术盗佳人
第三十一回玉面虎作伐求淑女小神仙卖卜相英雄
第三十二回略说因缘半明半昧试观动静疑假疑真
第三十三回因兄念母楚云坠楼别友省亲文亮落水
第三十四回换参苓文炳延奇祸告御状福禄赶前程
第三十五回飞凤山白艳红招婿聚虎堂小福禄逃婚
第三十六回小福禄飞凤山定婚白艳红范相府留柬
第三十七回小福禄叩阍告状范丞相奉旨访查
第三十八回刘家庄英雄双救难杭州城宰相雪奇冤
第三十九回县令糊涂相臣识卓凶人被获公子冤明
第四十回洪锦云避患复罹灾沈三槐求欢反被辱

FAQ

Who is the author of this book, and can the date of composition be established?

Sources indicate the author is unknown, and the book is also titled The Complete Tale of Eight Swords, Seven Heroes, and Fifteen Righteous Warriors Quelling the Southern Barbarians; it is a chapter-novel. Lacking definite information on the author and date of composition, it is better read as a specimen of popular vernacular narrative rather than something to be pinned to a specific author and era.

What is the main conflict of the story?

The core conflict is between loyal and worthy people and the wicked: during the Zhengde reign of Emperor Wuzong of Ming, the eunuch Liu Jin abused power and colluded with the right chancellor Shi Hongji to harm loyal and worthy people; the distressed hero Hong Jin and his sister Jinyun were persecuted by Shi Yuanzhi, son of Shi Hongji, and were rescued by Li Guang, descendant of a loyal and worthy family. Li Guang then led his sworn brothers to punish the wicked and rid the people of evil, and turned the tide when the rebel army rose.

Can I understand it without having read similar chapter-novels?

You can try, but it takes a little patience. Chapter-novels have many characters and parallel threads, and names are easy to confuse at first. It helps to remember the core figures of the loyal and the wicked camps first, then proceed in order of the chapters, briefly noting each new character; after a few chapters it becomes smooth.

How should I understand episodes such as the guidance of the Great White Planet?

Such supernatural episodes are common narrative devices in traditional popular fiction, used to drive turns in the plot, resolve difficulties, and reinforce the idea that good and evil are repaid. There is no need to judge them by realistic logic; treat them as structural tools and observe at which key points they appear and what narrative problems they solve.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.