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Rebels and rebellion in classic Chinese literature and history

By I-fan Lin


The authoritarian nature of dynasties has led to a common stereotype of Chinese people as obedient and submissive. This stereotype fails to account for the fact that while much of China’s history has been dominated by dynastic cycle, this cycle was in fact punctuated by the overthrowing of powerful emperors by popular revolutions or military coups which ended up with the country in chaos before another dynasty was established.

li kui



The rebellious spirit of the knights-errant



li bai

A painting of Li Bai. Photo: Wikicommons.


When we are happy,
Shan’t we fully enjoy ourselves?
Drink up the golden chalices, my friends
[Bring in the wine] Never let them empty to the moon
Life has its own meaning
[So never worry about money] No matter how much I spend [on the wine] It will eventually come back to me[…] A luxury life is not my dream
My dream is to drink and drink and never wake up
All men of virtue are lonely
Only the drinkers are remembered



This idea is also contained in the Chinese proverb, “water holds up the boat, and water sinks the boat,” which is taken from an important historical document. The “boat” in the proverb refers the emperor, and “water” refers to his/her subjects. When the emperor lost the people’s hearts, the proverb says, they and the knights-errant were the same force that could rise up in rebellion.

Rebels from Classic Chinese Literature


Cultural Revolution Mao Zedong

A Cultural Revolution poster of Mao Zedong. Photo: Flickr/Jornny Liu.

Mao Zedong, who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory the Chinese Civil War and became the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, was known to have loved “Water Margin”. He used to say that he and his comrades were forced by the corrupt Kuomintang to go to Mount Liang, just like the 108 rebels in the novel.

Another well-known figure of rebellion in Chinese literature is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, the main character in He-Zhai Jin‘s novel “Journey to the West”. Wukong is a monkey but born from a stone. He is unrestricted by societal rules, with a physical strength rivalling that of  Marvel Comics’ The Thing, despite his monkey outlook. Wukong usually symbolizes the free mind and the strength and will to confront the Gods.

This novel was later adapted into a movie directed by Hong Konger, Derek KwokCritics considered this film a fairy tale for the post-Umbrella Hong Kong, in which some the people never submit to destiny and always fight for their freedom.


Although the figure of Mulan challenges the role of women in China’s patriarchal society, she is still a beloved figure in China—perhaps because she chooses to obey the emperor and become a warrior, and most importantly, because she did not wish for power.

Few of China’s literary works and legends of rebellion end as peacefully as Mulan. The most outstanding and respected knight-errant in “Records of the Grand Historian” is executed by the dynasty. The rebels in “Water Margin” end up surrendering to the dynasty and die in the war. In “Journey to the West”, Wukong is captured by the Gods and later controlled by a golden ring on his head similar to the caps in The Tripods series. Even the Empress Wu Zetian was smeared as a whore, and her achievement ignored for a long time because she dared to wield power over men.


This article originally appeared on Global Voices.

Rebels and rebellion in classic Chinese literature and history