Fang La

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Fang.
Fang La
Traditional Chinese 方臘
Simplified Chinese 方腊

Fang La (died 1121) was Chinese Manichaean leader who led a rebellion against the Song dynasty. He is featured as one of the antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

Life

Fang La was from Shezhou (present-day She County, Anhui). However, some claimed that he was from Qingxi, Muzhou (present-day Chun'an County, Hangzhou). In 1120, he led an uprising against the Song Empire in Qixian Village, Shezhou. Others claimed that he started the rebellion in Wannian Village, Chun'an County. Fang La's forces conquered Hangzhou and subsequently took control over parts of present-day Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi, with a total of 52 counties and six administrative divisions.

In 1121, the Song imperial court sent a general, Wang Yuan, to lead an army to crush the rebellion. Wang Yuan's subordinate, Han Shizhong, disguised himself, infiltrated Qingxi and captured Fang La. Later, Xin Xingzong, the defending general of Zhongzhou, led his army to block Qingxi's exit route and took control of Qingxi. Fang La and 52 of his subordinates were captured and escorted to the Song capital, Kaifeng, by Tong Guan. Four months later, Fang La was executed in Kaifeng for treason.

By 1132–1133 or later, the rebellion was linked to Manichaeism. Though not originally connected, in the public and historical conscience it became confused with the Taizhou unrest of April–June 1121, where Manichaeism was widespread.[1]

In fiction

Fang La
Water Margin character
Emperor of Fang La forces
Ancestral home / Place of origin Shezhou (present-day She County, Anhui)
First appearance Chapter 110
Names
Simplified Chinese 方腊
Traditional Chinese 方臘
Pinyin Fāng Là
Wade–Giles Fang La

The classical novel Water Margin presents a semi-fictional account of Fang La and his battle with the Liangshan outlaws. The outlaws are granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong of Song after defeating the Song imperial army five times. The emperor sends the Liangshan heroes on military campaigns to suppress rebel forces within the empire and defeat the Liao Empire in the north. Fang La is one of the rebel leaders based in the Jiangnan region.

Whilst the Liangshan forces suffered hardly any casualties in the campaigns against the Liao Empire, Tian Hu and Wang Qing, the campaign against Fang La proved to be calamitous. 59 of the original 108 heroes were killed in action, mostly by Fang's warriors, whose combat skills and abilities rival the best of Liangshan. Unlike the other rebels who do not have good leadership and experience, Fang La has rebelled for a long time and rivals the power of the Liangshan heroes.

Fang La is eventually captured by the Liangshan heroes after an elaborate infiltration scheme involving Chai Jin and Yan Qing. During his escape attempt, he is defeated by Lu Zhishen and escorted back to the capital by imperial forces under the command of Tong Guan. Four months later, Fang La is found guilty of treason and is executed by slow slicing in Kaifeng.

Fang La forces

Nobles

Premiers, civilian officials, magicians

Generals

References

  1. ↑ Ter Haar, The White Lotus Teachings in Chinese Religious History, pp.49-52
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