The Complete Tale of the Golden Terrace

AnonymousJul 2024

3.3

Word count: 307K words
Chapters: 63

Summary

Books, as I have heard, are meant to delight the eye and gladden the heart; yet some, with profound meaning and deep purport, discoursing on loyalty and righteousness, are likewise enough to stir a man's good heart. As for vulgar and lewd tales of secret trysts and clandestine meetings, should young girls and children read them, they would surely take them as models—no wonder magistrates burn and ban them. Now the present volume, The Complete Tale of Jin Tai, concerns Jin Tai, who is no more than a constable, yet skilled in boxing, filial and righteous at heart; he roams the rivers and lakes, befriends heroes. Though at first he heedlessly listens to baleful words and nearly aids the tyrant in his cruelties, once a immortal gives him guidance he swiftly awakes and turns back, ridding the realm of demons and achieving deeds that astonish.

Editor's review

The Complete Tale of Jin Tai is a popular novel whose protagonist is the constable Jin Tai; its author is unknown. The book's main thread follows Jin Tai—skilled in boxing, filial and righteous at heart—as he roams the rivers and lakes and befriends heroes. It tells how he at first heedlessly listens to baleful words and nearly aids the tyrant in his cruelties, then, guided by an immortal, swiftly awakes and turns back, and in the end rids the realm of demons for the state. The preface stresses in particular that the book's meaning is profound and its discourse on loyalty and righteousness is enough to stir a good heart, distinguishing it from vulgar and lewd tales—showing that the compiler-editor deliberately highlighted its moral function of rewarding good and punishing evil. The book blends courtroom-case, chivalric, and spirit-and-demon elements; its boxing descriptions and tales of friendship in the rivers and lakes make for engaging reading, and it suits readers who wish to understand the constable-hero figure and the notions of loyalty and filial piety in old popular fiction. When reading, one may attend to the relation between its narrative conventions and its moral exhortation, and may also read it alongside chivalric courtroom-case novels of the same period, to feel the tension in popular literature between entertainment and edification.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lovers of old popular fiction who enjoy chivalric, courtroom-case, and rivers-and-lakes themes
Readers studying Ming-Qing fiction and folk ethics, with an interest in exhortations to virtue
General readers curious about the constable-hero figure and descriptions of boxing

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced modern narrative and lack patience for classical Chinese
Readers expecting rigorous historical research or a genuine martial-arts manual
Readers put off by plots of spirits and immortals appearing and karmic moralizing

Reading tips

Read the opening preface first to grasp the compiler's stance of exhorting to virtue, then enter the story.
Read Jin Tai's heeding of baleful words and his awakening as a character arc, noting the turning points.
Read alongside chivalric courtroom-case novels such as The Three Heroes and Five Gallants, comparing the constable figures.
Skim the verse passages; focus on the plot's advance and the characters' relations.

版权信息
序
序二
第一回泗洲城积善延嗣宁辉山混一真元
第二回德行僧天机预识白猿洞初盗天书
第三回宁辉师出寺点化白猿洞再盗天书
第四回蛋和尚三盗天书圣姑姑杨园寄住
第五回钦天监观星奏圣小英雄全义避差
第六回杨小桥好意反祸张道人妙药回春
第七回维杨郡英雄探迹酒肆中浦二相逢
第八回兰花院兄弟快乐无毛虎闯入青楼
第九回澹台豹大闹勾栏院苏小妹缔结小英雄
第十回老相国上书奏圣大英雄飘流浪荡
第十一回看卖拳英雄遇合慰慈亲托友传书
第十二回圣姑姑招商投宿众英雄聚会登莱
第十三回小妖狐弄术旅店双僧道斗法平台
第十四回东京城张鸾戏帝王孟家庄恶霸劫红妆
第十五回一强梁恃强劫美三美人因美遭灾
第十六回访英雄里应外合临虎穴力救红妆
第十七回贝州好汉聚义英雄结义水滨恶妇乔妆欲报夫仇
第十八回恶妇三更为刺客冤魂夜梦托英雄
第十九回尤龙女害人反自害众英雄大闹吉祥村
第二十回吉祥村夫妻拜别贝州城婆媳相逢
第二十一回琵琶亭义叙英雄天海寺普济报恩
第二十二回左跷儿神通幻妙圣姑姑法力无边
第二十三回美金台被擒遇救鲍千金饭店交拳
第二十四回澹台惠奏上嘉佑主众英雄同赴凤凰村
第二十五回桃花庄英豪守分贝州城王则招雄
第二十六回方魁拜伏小英雄金隆回转贝州城
第二十七回使女贪欢伤自命张松兄弟会英雄
第二十八回张王府拿住金台姑苏地遇见刘松
第二十九回金台借贷到山塘金忠聚众闹云楼
第三十回一席酒友朋重义百花村姊弟相逢
第三十一回段一刀遇强而弱石头陀逢硬而锄
第三十二回江员外路逢侠士夜冲塘反作相交
第三十三回班兰豹宿仇未报小英雄新友初交
第三十四回老苏云街头逢婿勇何其台上称雄
第三十五回班兰豹擂台猖獗小英雄拳打杨滔
第三十六回二虎台雷蓬大败招商店好汉遭擒
第三十七回柴千岁进京议救安南国献猴难邦
第三十八回杨元帅驾前力保勇金台金殿降猴
第三十九回小英雄改配上路两解差骗食充饥
第四十回高三保破财全义戚旗牌受贿松刑
第四十一回美英雄黄金埋土少林僧就聘教拳
第四十二回少林和尚图淫欲小辈英雄隐姓名
第四十三回少林僧逞能取辱金好汉拳下留情
第四十四回金好汉回乡探母徐大娘遇盗长江
第四十五回周通仗势欺姚客方佳爱色抢徐娘
第四十六回尚书第金台救姊杏花村卢海交拳
第四十七回真通关节陷好汉假传圣旨害忠良
第四十八回孙知县嘱禁毙监孟家庄窝巢剿灭
第四十九回同心仗义通消息众友全交夜劫牢
第五十回江家庄英雄叙会金銮殿柴信弹奸
第五十一回澹台惠西郊正法王禅祖仙洞指迷
第五十二回胡永儿情迷王则圣姑姑煽惑人心
第五十三回紫阳庄妖狐弄术贝州城杨豹受刑
第五十四回贝州城王则起事金銮殿国丈奏君
第五十五回众英雄金山结义江员外避难穷途
第五十六回众英雄旅店逢仙日本国难邦进贡
第五十七回胜郝龙金銮比武封元帅奉旨平阳
第五十八回下战书金台全义现红光母子欣逢
第五十九回两先锋弃邪归正一宝镜逐怪除妖
第六十回讨叛逆平阳奏凯封王爵衣锦团圆

FAQ

Is Jin Tai a historical figure or a fictional character?

The materials only call him a constable in the book, skilled in boxing and filial and righteous at heart; no verifiable historical basis is provided. Readers should treat him as a chivalric-type figure in popular fiction, not as a historical person.

What is this book mainly about?

According to the preface's summary, it tells of the constable Jin Tai roaming the rivers and lakes and befriending heroes; at first he heedlessly listens to baleful words and nearly aids the tyrant in his cruelties, then, guided by an immortal, turns back and rids the realm of demons for the state, achieving great deeds. Its core is chivalry, loyalty and filial piety, and rewarding good and punishing evil.

Is the book heavily didactic?

The preface explicitly stresses its profound meaning, its discourse on loyalty and righteousness, and its power to stir a good heart, showing the compiler had a strong intent to edify. In the main text, episodes such as the immortal's guidance and the turning back toward good also carry a tone of exhortation and warning; readers may understand this as a period feature of popular literature.

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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.