Shi Yukun
| Shi Yukun | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
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| Shi Zhenzhi | |||||||||
| Chinese | |||||||||
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| Wenzhu Zhuren (possible pen name?) |
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| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Bamboo-Inquiring Master" | ||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Shí Yùkūn |
| Wade–Giles | Shih2 Yü4-k'un1 |
| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Shí Zhènzhī |
| Wade–Giles | Shih2 Chen4-chih1 |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Wènzhú Zhǔrén |
| Wade–Giles | Wen4-chu2 Chu3-jen2 |
Shi Yukun (fl. 19th century), courtesy name Zhenzhi, was a highly popular Beijing-based storyteller during the Qing dynasty. He is credited for creating the 1879 masterwork wuxia novel The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants (better known today as The Three Heroes and Five Gallants or The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants). While he was famous for performing stories on which the novel was based, whether he actually contributed to the print novel is unknown.
While eponymous poems and zidishu solely to celebrate (or perhaps mock) Shi Yukun's fame and storytelling skills have survived, little is actually known about his life, besides that he performed his art in the national capital Beijing during the 19th century, probably as early as 1817. While some scholars had believed he was originally from Tianjin, it was probably a mistake made by confusing Shi Yukun and Shi Duo (石鐸), the publisher of the 1891 novel The Five Younger Gallants which also claimed Shi Yukun as its original source. The suggestion that Shi Yukun was ethnic Manchu, based on his surname (common in Manchus) and the Manchu genre of zidishu in his performances, also lacks convincing evidence. He was called "Third Master" (三爺) by at least another storyteller. He was clearly literate.
His performances, accompanied by sanxian (3-stringed lute) playing, would attract audience of thousands. He did not employ a wooden clapper like modern pingshu performers, rather, he uses his musical instrument to call the audience's attention. He was best known for his poetic lyrics and tunes during his songs.
In addition to the story that eventually became The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, at least 2 other stories have been associated with him:
Rare for a public storyteller, he was literate and is believed to be the same person as the one behind the pen name Wenzhu Zhuren ("Bamboo-Inquiring Master"), who first edited the original transcript of his storytelling for publication, which eventually became The Three Heroes and Five Gallants.
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Wikipedia