THE FISHERMAN'S REVENGE

(Da Yu Sha Jia)

Xiao En, a fearsome hero of the greenwood, washed his hands of the business in his old age and wanted to live a simple life as a fisherman together with his young daughter Guiying. Both were good at martial arts.

In the county where they lived and fished, the magistrate had illegally relegated the collection of the fishing tax to Squire Ding, a despotic landlord, who tried to squeeze all he could out of the poor fishermen.

The season had been so dry and water in the river so shallow that it was difficult to make any catches. However, a lackey of the Squire's still kept going the rounds to press for payment of the tax. One day he happened to come across Xiao in his boat with two well - known figures of the world of brave men, whom he had just met. These champions of the weak, furious on hearing about the extortions, spoke roughly to the tax - collector and told him to convey this message to his master: The squire had better behave himself or else he would come to grief.

Ding, angerd by this warning, ordered his group of hired roughnecks to go to Xiao En's cottage to press for money by force and to teach him a lesson. This caused a fracas in front of the house. The hirelings, though superior in number, were actually sham fighters, and in the end they were sent fleeing helter - skelter. Their ring - leader was properly battered by father and daughter.

Xiao En felt he had better go and state his case before the magistrate. But the latter, as a friend of the squire's and with a fat bribe from him already in his pocket, ordered Xiao to be flogged without listening to a single word from him. On top of this, he ordered Xiao to go to kowtow to the landlord at his mansion by way of apology.

This was asking too much of Xiao En, who had been a knight errant, a sort of Robin Hood in his younger days. To add insult to injury was to drive him mad. Back home, he told his daughter Guiying that he had made up his mind to go right away that evening to the squire's to avenge himself. He told her to flee and to look for an old friend of his, to whose son Guiying had been betrothed since childhood.

Guiying will not let her father go out alone on this dangerous undertaking. She wants to be with him, They leave the house unlocked since it is to be deserted. In the dark they locate their fishing boat on the shore. Half way across the river Guiying feels a pang of fear and is mildly chided by her father. Finally, father and daughter pluck up their courage, go into the landlord's house, kill him and flee back to the greenwood.

This story is presented as a Peking opera. The figures of white - bearded Xiao En and attractive Guiying are often seen in various handicraft works. The fisherman and his daughter in a boat symbolize the indomitable struggle of the labouring people against feudal oppression.