Mu Hong
Encyclopedia
Mu Hong is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 24th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Unrestrained".
. The brothers are from a wealthy and influential family in Jieyang
, Guangdong
. Mu Hong is famous for his bravery and prowess in martial arts.
is exiled to Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi
), he passes by Jieyang along the way and meets the street performer Xue Yong
. Xue Yong does not acknowledge the Mu brothers' presence and angers them. Mu Chun forbids the townsfolk to pay Xue Yong for his performance. Song Jiang ignores Mu Chun and pays Xue Yong five silver taels. Mu Chun is furious with Song Jiang for disrespect towards him and he wants to beat up Song. Xue Yong comes to Song Jiang's aid and defeats Mu Chun in a fight.
Mu Chun feels humiliated after his defeat and orders the townsfolk not to let Song Jiang spend the night in the town. Mu Chun plots revenge on Song Jiang with his brother but Song overhears their conversation and flees from the village. Xue Yong is caught by the Mu brothers and severely beaten up. Song Jiang reaches the riverbank with the Mu brothers hot on pursuit and he boards Zhang Heng
's boat in desperation to escape from them. Zhang Heng claims to be a ferryman but is in fact a pirate who robs unsuspecting travellers who board his boat. Zhang Heng wants to kill Song Jiang when the boat reaches the middle of the river but he is stopped by Li Jun. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to Zhang Heng and the Mu brothers, who recognise him as the famous philanthropist. They apologise to Song Jiang and become friends with him.
outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue Song Jiang. They reach the riverbank where Li Jun, Mu Hong and others are waiting with boats from them. They ferry the outlaws all the way back to Liangshan Marsh and the Mu brothers join Liangshan.
After the Grand Assembly, Mu Hong becomes one of the Eight Tiger Cub Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan calvary. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. Mu Hong makes great contributions during the campaigns and plays an important role in the capture of the enemy city of Runzhou
during the Fang La
campaign. He dies of illness after Hangzhou
is captured and is posthumously granted an honorific title by the emperor in recognition of his contributions to the nation during the campaigns.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 24th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Unrestrained".
Background
The Water Margin describes Mu Hong as a handsome and talented looking man with eyebrows that resemble silkworms and having an impressive bearing. Mu Hong has a younger brother called "Little Unrestrained" Mu ChunMu Chun
Mu Chun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 80th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 44th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Restrained".-Background:...
. The brothers are from a wealthy and influential family in Jieyang
Jieyang
Jieyang is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the east, Chaozhou to the northeast, Meizhou to the north, Shanwei to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.-Administration:...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. Mu Hong is famous for his bravery and prowess in martial arts.
Meeting Song Jiang
When Song JiangSong Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
is exiled to Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
), he passes by Jieyang along the way and meets the street performer Xue Yong
Xue Yong
Xue Yong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 84th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 48th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Sick Tiger".-Background:...
. Xue Yong does not acknowledge the Mu brothers' presence and angers them. Mu Chun forbids the townsfolk to pay Xue Yong for his performance. Song Jiang ignores Mu Chun and pays Xue Yong five silver taels. Mu Chun is furious with Song Jiang for disrespect towards him and he wants to beat up Song. Xue Yong comes to Song Jiang's aid and defeats Mu Chun in a fight.
Mu Chun feels humiliated after his defeat and orders the townsfolk not to let Song Jiang spend the night in the town. Mu Chun plots revenge on Song Jiang with his brother but Song overhears their conversation and flees from the village. Xue Yong is caught by the Mu brothers and severely beaten up. Song Jiang reaches the riverbank with the Mu brothers hot on pursuit and he boards Zhang Heng
Zhang Heng (Water Margin)
Zhang Heng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 28th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Boatman".-Background:...
's boat in desperation to escape from them. Zhang Heng claims to be a ferryman but is in fact a pirate who robs unsuspecting travellers who board his boat. Zhang Heng wants to kill Song Jiang when the boat reaches the middle of the river but he is stopped by Li Jun. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to Zhang Heng and the Mu brothers, who recognise him as the famous philanthropist. They apologise to Song Jiang and become friends with him.
Joining Liangshan
Song Jiang runs into some trouble in Jiangzhou later and is almost put to death. The LiangshanMount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue Song Jiang. They reach the riverbank where Li Jun, Mu Hong and others are waiting with boats from them. They ferry the outlaws all the way back to Liangshan Marsh and the Mu brothers join Liangshan.
After the Grand Assembly, Mu Hong becomes one of the Eight Tiger Cub Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan calvary. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. Mu Hong makes great contributions during the campaigns and plays an important role in the capture of the enemy city of Runzhou
Runzhou District
Runzhou is a county-level city administered by Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province.To the east of Runzhou lies the Grand Canal and Jingkou district with Zhenjiang New District to the souheast. The district has an area of 132.68 sq km. By the end of 2004, the total population was 237,100 people....
during the Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
campaign. He dies of illness after Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
is captured and is posthumously granted an honorific title by the emperor in recognition of his contributions to the nation during the campaigns.