Tao Zongwang
| Tao Zongwang | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Nine Tailed Turtle" 九尾龜 |
| Rank | 75th, Manage Star (地理星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Construction supervisor of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader from Mount Yellow Gate |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Guangzhou (around present-day Huangchuan County, Xinyang, Henan) |
| First appearance | Chapter 41 |
| Weapon | Iron shovel |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 陶宗旺 |
| Traditional Chinese | 陶宗旺 |
| Pinyin | Táo Zōngwàng |
| Wade–Giles | T'ao Tsung-wang |
Tao Zongwang is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 75th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 39th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Nine Tailed Turtle".
Background
Tao Zongwang is born in a peasant family in Guangzhou (光州; around present-day Huangchuan County, Xinyang, Henan). He possesses great strength and is highly skilled in the use of the spear and sword. He is nicknamed "Nine Tailed Turtle". He becomes the leader of a group of bandits based on Mount Yellow Gate (黃門山), alongside Ou Peng, Ma Lin and Jiang Jing.
Joining Liangshan
After saving Song Jiang and Dai Zong in Jiangzhou (江州; east of present-day Chongzuo, Guangxi), the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh are making their way back to base when they passed by Mount Yellow Gate along the way. The four bandit chiefs stop the Liangshan outlaws and request to join them. Song Jiang agrees and they return to Liangshan together.
Campaigns and death
Tao Zongwang is placed in charge of overseeing the construction of defence infrastructure at Liangshan after the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong. He is killed in the battle of Runzhou (潤州; present-day Runzhou District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) during the campaign against the rebel leader Fang La.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 151. 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.