Three Brave, Five Just

“Three Brave, Five Just” is considered in China to be the first classic detective novel, the first chivalric and adventure novel. To this day, it is compared to the book “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas. The manuscript was created... based on oral stories from the famous Chinese storyteller of the 19th century, Shi Yu-Kun. According to legend, the idea for the novel was inspired by an allegorical painting that hung on the wall, depicting a cat chasing a butterfly. The painting symbolized the wish for a long life, and the future novel inherited from it hidden symbolism and references to the fairy tale Chinese tradition. The whole body of ancient traditions and legends was also not forgotten. The action of the novel transports the reader to the 11th century, during the time of the Song dynasty. The main character is the legendary sage, Judge Bao, who had a real prototype and was later deified as one of the judges of the afterlife. Together with a group of wandering warriors, each of whom possesses an exceptional form of martial arts, he leads an unyielding fight against corruption and crime.