Huangfu Duan
| Huangfu Duan | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Purple Bearded Count" 紫髯伯 |
| Rank | 57th, Beast Star (地獸星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Veterinarian of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Veterinarian |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Youzhou (present-day Beijing) |
| First appearance | Chapter 70 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 皇甫端 |
| Traditional Chinese | 皇甫端 |
| Pinyin | Huángfǔ Duān |
| Wade–Giles | Huang-fu Tuan |
Huangfu Duan is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 57th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 21st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Purple Bearded Count".
Background
The novel describes Huangfu Duan as a weird-looking man with green eyes and a long yellow beard. He is believed to be a non-Han Chinese and is nicknamed "Purple Bearded Count".
Huangfu Duan is from Youzhou (幽州; present-day Beijing) and he serves as a veterinarian in Dongchang Prefecture (東昌府; in present-day Liaocheng, Shandong). He specialises in healing wounded horses and curing them of their illnesses. He can cure 408 different types of diseases contracted by horses, and is rumoured to be able to bring dead horses back to life.
Joining Liangshan
Huangfu Duan is the last of the 108 Stars of Destiny to join the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh. Zhang Qing is captured by the outlaws during the battle of Dongchang Prefecture, after which he agrees to be a member of Liangshan and even recommends Huangfu Duan to join them.
Huangfu Duan becomes Liangshan's veterinarian and is in charge of the care of horses. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong. On the eve of the final campaign against the rebel leader Fang La, the emperor summons Huangfu Duan and Jin Dajian back to the capital and they do not participate in the campaign. Huangfu Duan serves as an imperial veterinarian for the rest of his life.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 115. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China. KOEI, 1989.