William Stanton

Stanton, William. 1900. The Triad Society or Heaven and Earth Association. Hong Kong: Kelly and Walsh

Note: In the original, all the Chinese proper names had the original Chinese characters given as footnotes. Here I have added those Chinese transcriptions in parentheses inside the main text. Any other Chinese characters not in parentheses, were already a part of the main text. Since this foundation account is just a small portion of the text (pp. 29-38), I have also added the page numbers from the original text.

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(p. 29)

The Traditional Account Of the Society's Origin.

In order to obtain an understanding of the ritual of the Triad Society it is necessary that the reader should be acquainted with he legendary and traditional account of the Society's origin, that is received, believed in, and transmitted from age to age by it's members. Without this knowledge many references in the ritual to things, places, and persons, sand their acts, appear meaningless. And it is only fair to observe that, though this account teems with what is miraculous and absurd, equally as great absurdities are believed in by nine-tenths of the Chinese of the present day.

According to the tradition, in former times there existed, embowered amidst trees, in a secluded and romantic spot, amongst the Chiu-lien hills (九連山) n the Putien district (浦田縣) of the Fuchiu prefecture (福州府), in the Fokien province, a Budhist monastery, known as the Shao-lin-tsze (少林寺), which was said to have been built by a priest named Tah-tsun-ye-ye (達尊爺爺), in the Tang dynasty. It had consequently, stood nearly a thousand years, at the tie in the seventeenth century, when the occurrences to be described are said to have taken place. The monks of this monastery, although doubtless as devout as others were, instead of devoting all their time to religious duties, spent most of it in studying military tactics and strategy, fencing and other warlike arts, in all of which they had become so expert, in an age when personal prowess still played an important part in warfare, as to be celebrated throughout the empire. And they did not confine their teaching to the priesthood, consequently numbers who desired to excel in arms flocked to them from all parts, until the place resembled a military seminary rather than a monastery.

It happened in the reign of Kanghi, or as some say, that Yung-cheng, the prince of Silu (西魯), a tributary state, placed by some on the western frontiers, buy others near Annam, and by others in Formosa, threw off his allegiance, invaded China, and defeated with great loss every army sent against him. In consequence of these continual defeats the emperor called a Council of State, at which it was decided to post proclamations throughout the empire offering great rewards to all persons, whether noble or mean, males of females, of Buddhist of Taoist priests, who would come forward and subdue the trrible Silu State, and free China from her foe. It happened that Cheng Kiun-tah (鄭君達), a man who had studied and had taken high honours at the Shao-lin monastery, saw the proclamation, and hurried off to hold a consultation with the one hundred and twenty-eight monks who then dwelt in the monastery. They decided to offer their services to the emperor, and went in a body and tore down the proclamation, which was a sign that they undertook the matter referred to. The imperial guard in charge of the proclamation took them to court, where they had an interview with the emperor, who inquired whence they came and what their (p.30) abilities were. Having satisfied his majesty on these points, he accepted their service with pleasure, raised them all to the rank of general, and offered them whatever assistance in men and money they required. They told him they required horses and provisions; but they did not require a single soldier. Their modest requirements were soon supplied. The emperor then conferred plenary power upon them and gave them a sword and a triangular iron seal with the characters 家后日山 Chia Hau Jih Shan engraved on it. Finally a lucky day was selected and the militant monks marched off to fight, and Cheng Kiun-tah went with them in charge of the commissariat. These heroes cut their way through hills bridged rivers, and in a short time reached Silu, where they encamped and built a strong stockade. Before long the Silu army arrived on the scene and commenced the attack. The monks did not remain long on the defensive. In their first engagement they ode through the barbarian army, hacking and slashing the soldiers as easily as if they were splitting bamboos. And so they fought battle after battle until the Silu prince, seeing the utter futility of attempting to conquer such warriors, sued for peace, which was granted on his binding himself by treaty to send yearly tribute to China as before. In less than three months the Silu State was subdued, apparently without loss of life on the priestly side, and the victorious little army returned amidst triumphal songs to the capital. As on quatrain says:

          'The army of our country came
                   The conquerors of the Silu land,
          Throughout the Sate was spread their fae,
                   As marched through songs our gallant band.'

On the return of the victors the emperor was so delighted at their success, that he offered them whatever offices they desired; but these monks were no office-seekers, and, after consulting together on the offer, they begged to be allowed to retire, to live in seclusion, in their monastery. Cheng kiun-tah, however, had no such priestly, scruples and he accepted the office of commandant of Ti-chen. Besides giving the monks money and costly silks, and entertaining them at a feast, which lasted three days, his majesty gave them a large tablet with the inscription 御澤恩重 'Imperial favour, kindness, and honour,' engraved on it; and three pairs of antithetical scrolls, on one of which were the lines 英雄居第一，豪傑定無雙 'First in bravery, matchless heroes; on another, 不用文章朝聖主全憑武藝見君皇 'It was not by learning that got to court, through warlike skill they saw the emperor;' and on the other 出門朝見君皇面入寺方知古佛心 'Going out to court, the Prince's face is seen; entering the temple, Buddha's mind is known.' When their return to Shao-lin-tsze, the monks arranged their presents for the inspection of the country people who had turned out in great numbers to welcome them home.

It happened that before many years the calm of the sea was ruffled, and there was a thunder-clap heard in a serene and cloudless sky. At this time there were two traitors high in office at court, named respectively Ch'en Wan-yaǔ and Chang Chin-tsiú, who, except for the difficulty of bribing of defeating in arms the brave monks of Shao-lin-tse, looked on the empire as well within their grasp. In order to remove the monks, these officers drew up a memorial to the emperor accusing them of treacherous designs, and setting forth how easily it would be for those who had without difficulty conquering the Silu army, which appeared invincible to his soldiers, (p.31) to conquer China. They showed him how the fate of the country rested with the monks, who could overthrow his dynasty as easily as they could turn their heads around. The emperor became alarmed and asked, as they were unable to conquer them, what they could do. They applied for three or four hundred of his guards in order to destroy the monks. But his majesty ridiculed the notion of sending such a small force against such warriors, until they they informed him that they intended to set the monastery on fire and blow it up with gunpowder. He then placed several hundred imperial guards at their command and they set out with them for Fokien. The monastery was in such a secluded spot that on arriving at the Chiu-lien hills they could not readily find it. But it happened that while they were inquiring as to its whereabouts, they came across a priest named Ma I-fuh (馬義福). This man had ranked seventh in military skill amongst the Shaolin monks, but he was a votary of Venus as well as of Mars and Buddha and, because of his too fervid passion and amorous attention toward Kuo Siu-ying (郭秀英) and Cheng Yü-lan (鄭玉蘭), the wife and sister respectively of Cheng Kiun-tah, he had been flogged and expelled from the monastery. and it was while still enraged at the treatment meted out to him, and consuming with hatred towards his former associates, that he was met by those intent on destroying the monastery and its occupants, and they found in him a ready and willing tool for assisting in their horrible work. On their agreeing to make him an officer he conducted the at night to the monastery. The soldiers, after placing gunpowder in several places, surrounded the monastery with inflammable material, to which they set their lighted torches, and the building was speedily all ablaze. As the flames mounted heavenwards, Tah-tsun-ye, the founder and natural guardian of the monastery, who had long become immortal and an inhabitant of heaven, saw what was taking place, and sent Chu Kai (朱開) and Chu Kwang (朱光), two other immortals, to the rescue. They pushed outward the back wall, over which eighteen monks, who retained possession of the triangular seal, escaped into a court-yard, and thence passing through a dogs'-hole got clear of the burning edifice. Then, guided by Chu Kai and Chu Kwang, who had transformed theselves one into a yellow and the other into a black fog, they got some distance away, when Ma I-fuh saw them and called the soldiers to pursue them; but the fogs made themselves so dense as to baffle pursuit, and the fugitives reached Sha-wan-keú (沙灣口), and thence proceeded to Hwang-chün village (黃泉村), where thirteen of the little party died from burns and deprivation. The members say: "they died on Hwang-chün road, and though a myriad years pass, they shall be avenged!" Tsai- Teh-chung (蔡德忠), Fang Ta-hung (方大洪), Ma Chao-hing (馬超興), Hu Tehti (胡德帝) and Li Seh-kai (李色開), the survivors, are styled the Former Five Patriarchs of the Society. Before long Ma I-fuh met a traitor's fate. He was killed by friends of those whom he had betrayed. Thus, because of his having ranked seventh amongst the monks, the word seven is tabooed by the society and the word kat, good luck is substituted for it.

The surviving monks, having burned the bodies and concluded the funeral obsequies of their late comrades, concealed themselves under a bridge, where Sie (p.32) Pang-hang (謝邦恆) and Wu Ting-kwei (吳廷賁) found them, and took them into their boat. They remained in the boat a day, planning how to avenge their wrongs, and on leaving their kind preservers, gave them certain secret signs for future recognition of themselves or their friends.

They had no sooner left Hwang-chün than a party of soldiers arrived in search of them. Fortunately, however, they had already told their sad story of their wrongs to Wu Tien-yu (吳天祐), Fang Hwui-ching (方惠成), Chang Ching-chao (張敬照), Yang Chang-tso (楊杖佐) and Lin Ta-chiang (株大江), five daring rascals, who rushed to their defense and stayed the pursuit of the soldiers until they had got safely away. The monks continued their flight to Chang-sha-wan-keu (長沙灣口) in Hwui-cheu-fu (惠州府), where like the Israelites in their flight from Egypt, they found water in front and an army in the rear of them. The immortal Tah-tsun-ye again saw their danger, and again sent Chu Kai and chu Kwang to the rescue. These first took the shape of clouds which afterwards changed into two planks, one of copper and the other of iron, which came low down and formed a bridge, over which the monks passed to the Pao-chu (寶珠) monastery, where they remained a night and then proceeded to the Kao-chi temple (高溪廟), at Wu-lung Kang (烏龍江), in the Shih-ching district (石成縣). At that place their guardian angels supplied them with food and other necessaries. But nevertheless, three of them were in great distress, and it was only after much persuasion they were induced to accompany their companions eastward. As it was, they only travelled a short time before they turned back, to find, however, to their great astonishment, that the temple had vanished and everything in the neighbourhood undergone a change. They perceived that they could not remain there, so they again set off and travelled eastward. before long they learnt that the soldiers were still in pursuit, and to avoid them crossed into Hu-kwang and obtained lodgings for two weeks with Hwang Chang-ching (黃昌成), the righteous keeper of the Yen wang temple (閻王廟), and his wife, surnamed Chung (鐘氏), On leaving this place they travelled on to Kang-wei(港尾), near Mount Ting (丁山). There they met Cheng Tao-teh (鄭道德) and Cheng Tao-fang (鄭道芳), two sons of their old companion in arms, Cheng Kiun-tah and Kuo Sin-ying, his wife, and Cheng Yü-lan, his sister. This little party were engaged in worshipping at Cheng Kiun-tah's grave, and from them the monks learnt that their old friend had been strociously strangled with a red silk by the traitor Chen Wan-yao (陳文耀). The monks joined in worshipping at the tomb and in lamenting over the sad occurrences that had befallen their friends, when a party of soldiers appeared. The little party were in a sad plight indeed. Apparently they had no way of (p. 33) escape and no means of offering effective resistance. But at this critical moment the precious peach-wood sword of justice suddenly shot out of the head of Cheng Kiun-tah's grave, and was grasped by Kuo Siu-ying. carved on the hilt of this miraculous sword were two dragons struggling for a pearl, typical of two emperors contending for empoire, and near the point the characters Fan Tsing, Fuh Ming (反 [氵＋月] 復汩)*; subvert Tsing restore Ming. Kuo Siu-ying had only to shake this wonderful sword at a soldier and his head fell off like ripe fruit from a tree. After this remarkable deliverance the parties separated. But before long, a rumour about the wonderful sword reached their enemy Chang chin-tsiu (張近秋), and he sent a party of soldiers to search Kuo Siu-ying's house for it. But she obtained information of the intended search, and gave the sword to her two sons, who fled with it, and she and Cheng Yülan hastened off and drowned themselves in the San-ho river. Their bodies floated to Kang-wei, where they were found and recognized by Sie Pang-hang. He buried them in the hills above the river and erected tombstones over their graves.

The monks, having heard of Chang chin-tsiu's latest outrage, determined to punish him. With this object in view they concealed themselves in a wood and waited for his return from Cheng Kiun-tah's house. When he and his escort of soldiers reached the place where the monks were secreted, they rushed on him, and before his soldiers could intervene to save him, cut him in two parts. The soldiers, enraged at this, followed the fleeing monks, who were saved from their fury by the interposition of Wu Tian-ch'ing (吳天成), Hung Tai-sui (洪太歲), T'ao Pih-tah (桃必達), Li Shi-ti (李式地) and Lin Yung-chao (林永招). These are now known to the society as the After Five Patriarchs, and are sometimes called the tiger generals. The monks next sought to return to the Kao-chi temple, and got so far as the Pao-chu monastery at Yün Siao-yü (雲霄玉) and remained there for a few days. at this time they were in the utmost distress and on the verge of despair. They had no place in which to rest, and only desired life that they might gratify their craving for revenge. They even longed for death to come and wash out all their troubles.

soon after leaving the Pao-chu monastery they met Ch'en chin-nan (陳近南), the founder of the society. This man had been a memeber of the Han-lin academy and held the office of President of the Censorate. When the emperor decided to have the Shao-lin monastery burnt Ch'en chin-nan remonstrated with him and thus brought on himself the resentment of the traitors Ch'en Wai-yao and Chang Chin-tsiu, who accused hi of belonging to the monks' party and compelled him to resign his offices. He said 'since I am punished for being of their party I will join them.' In this frame of mind he left the capital and returned to his home in Hu-kwang, where, in the Pai-hao-tung (白鶴洞). White Stork Grotto, he devoted himself for a while to the study of Taoism, and the occult sciences usually found combined with it. He was then travelling in the guise of a fortune-teller, with the object of assisting the monks and revenging his own injuries. After conversing with the monks he learnt the desperate condition they were in, that they were without food, money, and homes, and he had compassion for them and took them to (p.34) his home and supplied all their wants. So now, when one brother meets another and askes whence he comes, the reply is, 'from the White Stork Grotto.' After residing with Ch'en Chin-nan half a month, he said to them, 'This place is too small to practice warfare in, but near here, at the rear of the Hsia-pu (下普庵) convent, there is an extensive building called Hung-hua-ting (紅花亭), Red Flower Pavilion; we can use that. There, gentlemen, if you have no objection, we can reside together and scheme to avenge our wrongs.' They agreed to his proposal, and all removed into the Red Flower Pavilion, which they found to be large, airy, clean, and well-lighted, and they were delighted with it.

One day the monks went for a stroll, and, while sauntering along the banks of the Kuangwei river, they saw something floating along and drifting with the tide. They approached and examined it and found it was a large stone tripod incense vessel with two ears. They were amazed, and shouted, 'how wonderful' On further examining it they found on its bottom the characters Fan Tsing, Fuh Ming, subvert Tsing restore Ming, and a row of smaller characters said its weight was 52 catties 13 taels. I was of granite and of the same shape as the pewter tripods now in use. But this one was subsequently lost at Keng-i (坑尾), in Hung-chou (杭州). The monks carried the incense vessel to a large stone that served as an altar, on which they placed it for the purpose of worshipping; but, owing to not having the necessary objects, they substituted guava twigs and grass for candles and incense sticks, and, having poured from a basin, water instead of wine, they began to pray that the injury done at Shao-lin might be avenged by a Ming ruler. And they were no priests of Baal, for their astonishment, the twigs and grass burt into flame and began to burn. They afterwards threw the divining blocks three times, and prayed for a sign that their prayers would be answered, and three times in succession the blocks turned favourably.

After these auspicious sign the monks returned to the Red Flower Pavilion, and told Ch'en Chin-nan what happened. He said, 'It is the will of Heaven that the Tsing should be overthrown and the ming dynasty reinstated; undoubtedly the time for vengeance is fixed.' The same day he raised the Ming standard and issued proclamations calling for soldiers to fight in the Ming cause. Only one hundred and eight men, all of whom had previously assisted the monks, responded to the call. But, at the same time, there appeared on the scene a remarkable youth, not much more than ten years of age, with a fair complexion and red lips, an, like the famous Liu Pei, his arms reached below his knees and his ears drooped to his shoulders. The men seeing his superior mien and manners inquired who he was and why he had come amongst them. He replied, 'I am Chu Hong-chu (朱洪竹), a grandson of the emperor Tsung-cheng (崇禎), by his consort the Lady Li (李妃). The empire of my ancestors was invaded and usurped by barbarians, and learning so many gentlemen are in arms in our cause, I have come purposely to take part with you, if you will permit me.' After deliberation the little army unanimously chose him as their ruler. The next day being a lucky one they selected it for (p.35) sacrificing to their standard, and commencing the great undertaking. Others now flocked to their standard, and Ch'en Chin-nan proposed that a lucky day should be selected, on which all in arms should mix their blood and swear brotherhood by tasting it. Those already in arms were styled elder brothers, and those who joined their cause later younger brothers. This was agreed to. The twenty-fifth day of the seventh month of the Chia-yin (甲寅) year was selected by the hsiang-chu (香主), or grandmaster, Ch'en Chin-nan, for the purpose, and he appointed the Red flower pavilion as the place in which the oath of brotherhood was to be taken. The members of the brotherhood still all look on the above date as their birthday, and call themselves the great Association of the Hung family. On this night they were astounded and pleased to see the southern sky open and brilliant stars form the characters 天廷國式 tian ting kuo sheh, Heaven's manifestation to the country. And Ch'en Chin-nan, in obedience to the will of Heaven, adopted these four characters for the generalissimo's banner. The same night they saw a brilliant red light in the eastern sky, and, in consequence, adopted the word hung, of the same sound as the word for red, but made up of 3,8,20, and 1, for a general surname of all brethren. There is a verse on the character Hung, which says –

          'The third month sees the peach-tree blossoming;
                   The eight immortals came to fix the date,
          the twentieth day we go to fight with Tsing;
                   By one word, through all time, is known our fate.'

Chen Chiu-nan was the life and soul of the movement, and it was he who planned, contrived, and made all arrangements and appointments. He appointed Su Hung leader of the vanguard; the five monks to be generals in the centre; Wu, Hung, T'ao, Li and Lin to be generals; and sent of Wu, Fang. Chang, Yang, and Lin to Lun-hu-shan to recruit men and horses. Having made all necessary arrangements, Ch'en Chin-nan issued an order informing the little army that they were going to march against the Tsing army the following day. It happened, however, that the Tsing army was much stronger than he expected to find it, and consequently, after a short fight, the Hung army was driven back to the hills. Chen Chin-nan then called a council of war, and, in accordance with its decision, the little army retreated towards th Wan-yün mountain. In their retreat they happened to pass the Wan-yün monastery (萬雲寺), the abbot of which was known by the name of Wan-yün-lung (萬雲龍) or Tah-tsung (達宗). This man was a native of Tai-chang-fu (太昌府) in Che-kiang and his real name was Hu te-chi (胡得起). He was of gigantic stature and immense strength, and he had joined the priesthood to atone for a murder which he had committed in early life. His attention was drawn, by the noise they were making, to the retreating soldiers, and on looking out he was surprised to behold priests amongst the fugitives. He inquired what it all meant; and on being informed of what had happened he was very angry. He said, 'So the barbarian dogs act thus contrary to justice and reason do they? As sure as Buddha has power a Ming emperor shall again be happy in ruling this country. Let us gather heroes to our cause, and next month do our utmost to exterminate the Tsing (p.36) barbarians and wipe out the injuries done to our emperor and to you gentlemen. I will be the great brother to lead you to battle for revenge. Where is the difficulty? The fugitives replied 'If you, Sir, exert, yourself in our cause we shall prosper and enjoy the fortunes of three lives in this.' Chen Chin-nan finding Wan-yün-lung so strongly in their favour, introduced him to the young emperor and appointed him their greatest brother. He mixed his blood with that of the others of the party, and, in the presence of heaven, drank with them the mixture and swore to exterminate the Tsing and reinstate the Ming Dynasty.

The twentieth day of the eighth month was the day selected for recommencing active hostilities. On that day and daily for over ten days Wan Yun-lung, armed with two large clubs, performed prodigious feats of valour, and slew vast numbers of the Tsing soldiers; but unfortunately on the ninth day of the ninth month he was struck by an arrow and slain. This happened below the precipice on Mount Tsan. The rest of the army lost heart and fled in confusion on seeing their great brother killed. The five monks concealed themselves near, and when the Tsing army withdrew fromt eh battle-field they returned, burnt Wan Yün-lung's body, gathered up the ashes of their hero in a red silk cloth, conveyed them to the foot, of the Ting mountain, and buried them in a place where Chen Chin-nan found the geomantic signs were good; there being a stream with nine windings in front, a mountain with thirteen peaks in the rear, a fir tree on the right and a cedar tree on the left of the grave. Chen Chin-nan enobled Wan Yün-lung as Duke Tah-tsung, and he and the remaining brothers set up a triangular ten thousand ages memorial stone, on which they engraved sixteen characters, all having the water radical. They also erected a miniature nine-storied pagoda.

these ceremonies having been concluded, a search was made in every direction for the young emperor; but nothing more was ever seen of him. The leaders then held a consultation at which Chen Chin-nan, addressing his companions said, 'Since our late defeat I have made prognostication with my bent fingers and fount that Heaven's time for the destruction of the Tsing dynasty has not yet arrived; but before long the Tsing rulers will extirpate and Ming rulers be reinstated to reign for a prosperous era. We are now vanquished, and it is useless to attempt anything further in this matter. I advise you all to disperse. Some of you can take to the fields and moors, and the rest can go afloat on the rivers and lakes. All ought to conceal themselves, nourish their health and strength, and practice to become able and virtuous. All should transmit from mouth to mouth and do his best to promulgate throughout the empire our aims, and secret signs and words, and try to join all in our cause, so that in a future attempt we may be successful in our meritorious undertaking. Gentlemen, I now bid you all farewell and go forth to wander, it may be on foot, across hills and dales, or it may be by vessel over rivers and lakes. Once more, I assure you, the destined time for the successful assembling of the Hung family is fixed and must come. Farewell!' he then bowed to all and left. After this parting Chen Chin-nan returned to his village home, and the others went off in all directions with secret signs and words of the society. After deliberation the five monks, who, since the burning of the Shaolin monastery had shared so many hardships with so much fortitude, also agreed to separate and set out in different directions to induce able men to join the brotherhood, in order that their wrongs might be avenged. Before parting, these Five Patriarchs of the Hung (p. 37) Brotherhood composed the following verse, which was handed down and has ever since been used as a memorial and sign of membership:–

          At parting, five a verse composed
          Which heroes carry undisclosed
          But when their brothers this do see
          They know the sign unity.

This is the verse written in the octagonal diagram of the certificate of membership that members carry in their purses.

Since the separation after Wan Yün-lung's death many years had passed, during which the brotherhood had been busy recruiting adherents in several provinces; and the members had been keeping up a correspondence with each other. At last the time for action came again and a large army assembled at the Kao-chi temple in Huei-chou-fu. But Su Hang-kuang (蘇洪光), the only one of their old leaders left, happened to die, and there was no man of ability to lead them at this critical time. They were relieved from their difficulty, however, and a leader supplied in a wonderful and thoroughly Chinese manner.

In order to explain who this leader was and whence he came, it is necessary to go back to the Ming emperor Tsun-cheng's death in 1628. Soon after the rebel chief Li Tzu-cheng captured Peking, this emperor ended his life and the Ming dynasty by hanging himself on a solitary stunted tree on Prospect Hill. His faithful, favourite eunuch Wang Cheng-en (黃丞恩), in expectation of being buried with him in the celebrated necropolis of the Mings, also committed suicide. The emperor had appropriated the only tree at hand and Wang Cheng-en, either because there was no unoccupied branch left and he feared to trespass, by utilizing the same one his imperial master had, or because he did not dare to aspire to so high a position, tied his majesty's feet together and hanged himself from them. By this foolish act he frustrated the end he had in view. For, when the bodies were found, instead of being regarded as a faithful servant, he was looked on as a traitor who had tied the emperor's feet together, to prevent him from escaping; and, while the emperor's body was decreed imperial burial in the family tombs, his was cast out to lie unburied, and his ghost was left without a home or habitation. It happened, however, that about the time that the Triad army was assembling at the Kao-chi Temple, Saint Tah-mo, the Chinese Bodhidharma, in answer to the poor ghost's continual supplications, had decided to oblige him, and, with this object in view, had secured the ghost, or the three rational and seven animal spirits that constituted it, in a gourd, in a similar manner to that in which Solomon put the wicked genius, in the vase found by the fisherman, as related by the imaginative Scheherazadè and in this way conveyed it to occupy the body of Su Hang Kuang (蘇洪光), which Su Hang Kuang's ghost had vacated, which in consequence became revivified. This animated corpse, which now took the name Tian Yu Hung (天祐洪), or Heaven protects Hung, lost no time in trying to atone for Wang Cheng-en's former blunder of hanging himself in the manner described. Being naturally zealous in the Ming cause, he, in the for of Su Hang Kuang, assumed command of the Triad men then in arms. For a while success attended his generalship, and the Triad men conquered in battle after battle, until seven provinces were brought under their sway. Then misfortune came gain and stayed. While (p. 38) fighting in Szechuan, Su Hang Kuang's body was struck down and gave up Wang Chen-en's ghost, in consequence of which Tien Yu Hung died and the Triad army was defeated and dispersed. In a short time provinces were retaken by the Tsing army and every remnant of the rebellion was destroyed.

From this account it will be seen that the Triad Society claims to have been brought into existence through the incomplete carrying out of as flagrant and cowardly an act of treAchery and sacrilege as it is possible to conceive. And, if true, it is not to be wondered at that the war cry of those who escaped from the burning monastery should have been 'Down with the Tsings, up with the Mings;' or that they should have toiled unremittingly and patiently to found a society to wreak vengeance on the dynasty that had so perfidiously and cruelly injured those whom in honor it was bound to protect. Nor is it surprising, considering the patriotic and semi-religious character of the Society, that it should obtain a strong hold amongst a people averse to being governed by a foreign tribe which they despised. That there was a Shao-lin Monastery; that it was set on fire by officers of this dynasty; and that a great many monks were burnt to death, while others escaped to found the Triad Society, is looked on as a matter of history by the people of the south-eastern part of China. That the story has been embellished with the wonderful passing from mouth to mouth, in its traditional descent for so many generations, is not surprising. The frequent allusions to the story in the ritual will be seen in the following pages.

Return to Sources for the Legend of the Burning of the Southern Shaolin Monastery