Ching K’o was a guest in Prince Tan’s house, an assassin who would kill for his host and a noble man who did not renegade on his promises.. He was an expert in martial arts, spiritually disciplined and loyal to the core. Ssu-ma mentions Ching K’o in his book Shiji as an assassin who attempt to kill the Chin king failed. The short story about Ching K’o is reminiscent of Chinese short stories of that era. The principles espoused in the stories and by the characters share no similarity with their European counterparts and the narrative style is also completely different. The author Ssu Ma had a fondness for poetry which is also reflected in the narrative. The short story also tells the tale of friendship, reciprocity, love, revenge and much more. There are different versions of the biography of Ching K’o. In Ssu-ma’s account, Ching K’o does not hurt the king while in other accounts Ching K’o manages to hurt the king’s ear. Even though the accounts differ what comes across in these stories about Ching K’o is his determination to complete his task. Although he tests his host’s commitment to a large degree, Ching K’o readily accepts his task and never looks back. Knowing very well that he would not return from his journey to kill the kind, he nevertheless goes ahead. It is for this reason that he gets a long section in Ssu-ma’s narrative and still remains a famous historical figure in Chinese literature. The longevity of Ching k’o ‘s name and the popularity is a result of his characterization in his biographies. He is a noble man who keeps his promises, has high ideals and goes ahead with his task even if it means he would get killed. Analysis of the different short stories, narratives and poems on Ching K’o stand testament to this fact.
The story of Ching K’o, the assassin could be found in Ssu-ma’s book, “ Shiji” or “The Scribe's Records”. Ssu-ma Ch'ien changed the shape of history in China by rejecting the traditional models of chronological presentation and collections of speeches and instead gave his history, The Shih chi, a new five-part structure consisting of "basic annals", "chronological tables", "treatises", "hereditary houses” and "collected biographies"(Hardy, 1).In the biographies section of the book, Ching K’o features along with other outstanding Chinese men, confucian scholars and officials from that era and more. “Unlike most modern biographies, the accounts in the "Biographies" give profiles using anecdotes to depict morals and character, with "unforgettably lively impressions of people of many different kinds and of the age in which they lived (Wilkinson, 2013).” These biographies have remained popular throughout the years that some of the phrases found in these texts are still used today. Ching K’o is still popular and his name is synonymous with assassin. There is a confusion among translators about how to call Ching K’o. Although Ssu Ma places him under assassins, he is much more than that.Lau calls him Knight-errant for want of a better word. Watson in his book calls him an assassin. Ching K’o was both. He was brave, courageous, loyal and was willing to kill for honor as well as reciprocity. “The figure of the righteous man-at-arms as a champion of justice (hsia) is one of the perennial favorites celebrated in traditional Chinese literature (Lau, 39).” These knights or heroes were men who possessed extraordinary martial skills and were spiritually disciplined. Their outward appearances often belied their inner strength. The knight offered his services to anyone who took his fancy and his services were often a reciprocal act for acts of benevolence. His sense of justice was also quite strong. Ching K’o is one such knight, In his case, his offer of service was a result of the favors he got from Prince Tan of Yen. His service to the prince had little to do with justice but more to do with thanking. Ching K’o risks his life not for glory or a national cause but to reciprocate the lavish treatment given to him by Prince Tan. His action could seem to the readers as a narrow or a very personal code of honor but in fact it is easily understood when the reader knows about the chinese principle of pao (reciprocation). In traditional Chinese society Pao was considered to be very important. A guest must reciprocate the kindness shown to him or her by the host. Prince Tan wants to kill the king Of Chin because he was not treated properly. There is no need of reciprocation there. However Ching K’o is not only received as an equal by Prince Tan but is treated very favorably by him. He goes to great lengths to ensure that Ching K’o is happy in his palace. It is for this reason that Ching K’o willingly risks his life. Assassinations played a pivotal role in the warring states period in Chinese history. Before the Chin dynasty formed a united kingdom, there were many battles and killings. When the kings and generals found themselves at a disadvantageous battlefield position, they often employed assassins and knights to quickly turn the tide in their favor. Prince Tan employed Ching K’o to forestall an attack by the Chin King and also to take revenge for his mistreatment earlier. The account of Ching K’o na Tan’s exploits is the longest story in the chapter of assassins in Ssu Ma’s book. Ching K’o’s exploits became so famous and ingrained in the Chinese mind that his name became synonymous with assassins (Sawyer, 117). Ching K’o however is no normal assassin. He goes to meet Prince Tan only after his friend convinces him of Tan’s reliability and history. He does not agree to kill the Chin king because of a personal enmity or because Tan paid him well. Although a nationalistic interest is there, his main interest in the task is born out of reciprocity. Ching K’o is also a thinker and not just a skilled swordsman and a martial expert. It is him and not Tan who finally devises a plan to get an audience with the Chin King. the idea of gaining an audience with the king by bringing him the head of his enemy works and he is granted an audience. Although he tries to kill the king, he is unsuccessful. His inability to complete his task however has not brought down his fame as he has been written about by many authors after Ssu-ma.
Ssu-ma was fond of poetry as well as music which can be seen from his work. Keeping with the tradition of his time, Ssu-ma wrote in the ‘fu’ form or the prose poem. His writing on the great men of the past is infused with many poems about them. Some examples of his poems in the book include ‘Book of Odes. Although this could not be worked easily into the general narrative, he nevertheless used them as a source of facts and legends from Chinese history. “But from the Eoo of Documents he copied the songs of Emperor Yii and his minister Kao Yao which he found so moving, and from other earlier works songs attributed to Po I, Confucius, Ching K'o, Hsiang Yii, Kao-tsu, and many others (Watson, 1961).” The poems were used with great skill in Ssu-ma’s narrative. The poems in the narrative usually come at a crucial point, before or after the climax when there is a moment of pause. The poems usually serve to sum up the essence of a life or the heart of the narrative. The song or poem of Ching K’o is used in the narrative to express his fierce determination that governs his fate. The poem is placed where he is ready to set out on his fateful journey. Ssu-ma uses a poem or a song about Ching K’o at this point of the narrative instead of writing about it in his own words. This is to express not only the emotions apparent in the scene but also to move the readers in a way his own words cannot. For instance, there is a poem just as Ching K’o leaves on his journey to kill the Chin king. He sings,
“ The Wind is Howling;
Cold is the water of the River Yi.
The stout heroes once departed,
Never to return (Lau, 48).”
The poem is very short and does not rhyme. Neither is it dramatic. The essence of the poem however is its power to move the reader in its simplicity. There is no lament on the part of Ching K’o. He knows what he has to do and he is very matter of fact about it. He describes the weather and the waters of the river he has to cross. He also knows that he would not return from this voyage alive. The last two lines of the poem denote this. He is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for his host and does not think twice about it. The beginning of his journey plays a pivotal role in the narrative. Till then the story of Ching K’o only acts as a base to describe his character and his other exploits. There are lengthy lines dedicated to describe the magnanimity of his host. But it is the journey which shows the true character of Ching K’o. He does not renege on his promise and goes away on his mission without a single thought. It forms as a twist to the story and only comes towards the end. Another poem that can be found in the short story is that of the song girl’s in the Chin King’s room. Before Ching K’o could kill the king, the king requests that he listen to a song which goes thus,
“ An unlined garment of fine silk gauze
If pulled will tear,
A folding screen eight feet long
Can be leaped over,
The sword with the windlass-shaped pommel
If first pushed back can then be drawn (Lau, 49).”
When the song girl plays this song, Ching k’o cannot understand the meaning.he is momentarily distracted by the song. The king uses this to his advantage and makes his escape. This also comes at a pivotal point as this is the moment that Ching K’o fails in his mission. Although he comes extremely close to killing the king, he fails. Instead of rewriting history with the assassination, it is here that Ching K’o gets relegated to a small role in the Chinese history. Ssu-ma’s work is not solely that of a historian or a recorder of facts. It it were so, Ching K’o would have only found a passing mention. His work however is also a record of the dreams, hopes and the ambitions of the men who lives during that time. It really did not matter to Ssu-ma if Ching K’o succeeded or failed. He wanted to record everything. It is because of this reason that in the short story about Ching k’o, more importance is given to the conversations and speeches between the characters and their intentions through poems. Instead of a plain recital of events that had happened, these take predominance. The history is then not just facts but also a look into the minds of the players. The story of Ching K’o has been retold by many people. In some versions he manages to hurt the Chin king. In some the powers of Prince Tan are magnified. For instance in Lau’s short story collection Prince Tan just looks up to the sky and grains start to fall and horses start to grow horns. These exaggerations have been added to talk about the powers of the kings as well as the assassins. It is also to give Ching K’o a better role that he actually played in history. However Ssu-ma gives a completely different account of what happened. He says, “ When people these days tell the story of Ching K'o, they assert that at the command of Crown Prince Tan the heavens rained grain and horses grew horns. This is of course a gross error. They likewise say that Ching K'o actually wounded the King of Ch'in, which is equally untrue (Watson, 1961).” Ssu-ma says that in his book he states the facts as is. He had heard about Ching K’o from the Hsia Wu-Chii and reports as he had heard it being told. He says that he included Ching K’o in his narrative because he did not back out of his promise even though his journey was doomed from the beginning. He was determined to go ahead with the task no matter what. His intentions were noble and not false. It is precisely for this reason that Ching K’o finds a mention in the narrative. It was not just Ssu-ma who included poems in his narrative. Tao Chien, a Chinese poet also wrote poems about Ching K’o where allusions become the subject of the poem. He writes,
“Prince Tan of Yen knew how to treat a man — His aim was vengeance on mighty Ying. He long had looked for the man worth a hundred And then as the years ran out he got Ching K'o. " A gentleman will die for one who knows his worth; With sword in hand I will leave Yen's capital, My pallid charger whinnying through the streets.”
He also writes, “ The map came to an end and the thing was there”. The reader of the poem must be aware of the story of Ching K’o and the original language used in the historical work. Ssu-ma wrote, “The king of Chin unrolled the map. When the map came to an end the dagger came into view (Birch, 110).” Tao’s poem is slightly elaborate and exaggerated than Ssu-ma’s. Although Tao writes with Ssu-ma’s work as a base and alludes to the original, he also exaggerates the actions of Ching K’o because he is not a historian writing about facts and the characteristics of the men but a poet who is singing about the valor of the hero. Ching K’o was not just relegated to the works of Ssu-ma but was also written about by other poets and scholars throughout the years.
The biography of Ching K’o found in the narrative of Ssu-ma and other short stories as well as poems tells the story of a great man. Although he was used as an assassin by the Prince Tan, he agreed to the task not because he was paid well but because he was treated in a good way by his host. The short stories contain the principle of Pao, the ancient chinese principle of reciprocity. It also contains poems which are inserted in specific locations. The poems can be found before the start of an important action or before and after the climax. Ssu-ma uses this technique in his narrative to move the reader in a poignant manner. The use of poems is also a common occurrence in Chinese short stories. Hanan writes that the most distinctive feature of the early Chinese short story is its poem-chain prologue, a feature of the oral short story (Hanan, 200). The biographies of Ching K’o are a product of the early Chinese literary tradition and have elements of historical narratives, poems and principles that are quite different from the European works on the same time.
Works Cited
Watson, Burton, trans. Records of the Grand Historian of China. New York: Columbia University Press. 1961.
Wilkinson, Endymion. Chinese History: A New Manual. Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series 84. Cambridge, MA: Harvard-Yenching Institute; Harvard University Asia Center. 2013.
Lau, Joseph and Ma. Y.W. Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company. 2008.
Sawyer. D. Ralph. The Tao of Spycraft: Intelligence Theory and Practice in Traditional China. Boulder: Westview press. 2004.
Birch, Cyril. Studies in Chinese Literary Genres. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1974.
Hardy, Grant. “Form and Narrative in Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Shih chi.” Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR). 14 (1992): 1-23
Hanan, Patrick. The Chinese Short Story: Studies in Dating, Authorship and Composition. Cambridge: Harvard University press. !973.
