Gourt Home::Gourt :: Zhang Jiao
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese: | 张角 |
| Traditional Chinese: | 張角 |
| Pinyin: | Zhāng Jiǎo or Zhāng Jué |
| Wade-Giles: | Chang Chio |
Zhang Jiao or Zhang Jue (?-184) (Simplified Chinese: 张角; Traditional Chinese: 張角; Pinyin: Zhāng Jiǎo or Zhāng Jué) was the leader of the Yellow Turbans during the period of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China. He was said to be a sorcerer, and was a follower of Taoism.
The rebellion
Giving himself the title of "Great Teacher", he led the Yellow Turban Rebellion with his younger brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang in a campaign called "The Way of Heaven" or "The Way of Peace". The Yellow Turbans claimed to be Taoists, and rebelled against the Han because of the high taxes placed against them. They conquered much in the early years of the rebellion, but when the Han sent out a distress call, gaining the talent of people such as Liu Bei and Cao Cao, the lack of ability of his generals showed. The Yellow Turbans, however, were still a strong threat until the death of Zhang Jiao, when, due to a lack of a good leader, it imploded on itself.
It is said that Zhang Jiao is the grandson of the founder of the Tianshi (Celestial Masters) Sect of Taoism, Zhang Daoling.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Zhang Jiao also features in the historical epic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the Moss Roberts translation of the novel, he is known as Zhang Jue.
- Note: Jue and Jiao are the same character in Chinese.
The character in the novel is introduced in the first chapter of the book:
At this time in the county of Julu was a certain Zhang family, of whom three brothers bore the name of Zhang Jue, Zhang Ba, and Zhang Lian, respectively. The eldest Zhang Jue was an unclassed graduate, who devoted himself to medicine. One day, while culling simples in the woods, Zhang Jue met a venerable old gentleman with very bright, emerald eyes and fresh complexion, who walked with an oak-wood staff. The old man beckoned Zhang Jue into a cave and there gave him three volumes of The Book of Heaven.
"This book," said the old gentleman, "is the Essential Arts of Peace. With the aid of these volumes, you can convert the world and rescue humankind. But you must be single-minded, or, rest assured, you will greatly suffer."
With a humble obeisance, Zhang Jue took the book and asked the name of his benefactor.
I am Saint Hermit of the Southern Land," was the reply, as the old gentleman disappeared in thin air.
Zhang Jue studied the wonderful book eagerly and strove day and night to reduce its precepts to practice. Before long, he could summon the winds and command the rain, and he became known as the Mystic of the Way of Peace.
The then goes onto found the rebellion known as the Yellow Scarves (or turbans). Little time is devoted to Jue in the book, and his death is given a line in the second chapter: "Zhang Jue had died before his (Huangfu Song's) arrival."
Other Appearances
Zhang Jiao is also a playable character in the Koei game Dynasty Warriors. He is potrayed as a magician with a rather ridiculous accent. He's known to frequently use the word 'Heaven' whenever he speaks. He wields a sword in his debut in Dynasty Warriors 2, but in the next installments, he changes his weapon into a magician staff and can summon flames as his attacks, although he has more spells during story cutscenes. Although he is one of the antagonists of the game, he is more potrayed as an avaricious character, rather than the villainous Dong Zhuo. Ironically, in Dynasty Warriors 3, fans consider him to have a similar look as Osama bin Laden, and in Dynasty Warriors 4 and 5, Zhang Jiao is often said to be similar with Jesus Christ model-wise. Added with one of his moves where he walks in a very weird method while having his staff float on the air, beating his enemies in front of him and ending with a shockwave, some fans jokingly call him 'Flaming Jesus'.
External Links
References
People of the Three Kingdoms | Han Dynasty
Zhang Jiao | Zhang Jiao | 張角 | 張角
"Zhang Jiao"