The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 2 (106 page)

3
. Guanbao:
, literally, blessed or protected by Guan. The name refers to Guan Yu
, styled Yunchang
, the renowned warrior and bond-brother of Liu Bei in the
Three Kingdoms
. Guan has been deified as a popular god and is worshipped for his rectitude and gallantry, especially among business communities and institutions.

CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT

1
. The shoes of Dongguo: a reference to the story of Mr. Dongguo
in the
Record of the Historian.
Before he was made an official, he was so poor that he dressed in rags and wore shoes that had only the tops but no bottoms when he walked through snow. See the
Shiji
,
j
126 in
Ershiwushi
1: 0271c.

2
. Yuan An:
, a man of Eastern Han. When a great snowstorm in Luoyang drove many of its inhabitants out to the streets to beg for food, Yuan refused to demean himself in such a manner and remained at home in bed instead. The city’s magistrate later found him nearly starved to death and bestowed on him the commendation of “Xiaolian
(Filial and Incorrupt),” a highly prized recommendation category for distinguished persons to be considered at the imperial capital for further appointment. See the
Hou Han Shu
,
j
75 in
Ershiwushi
1: 0797d–0798c.

3
. Sun Kang:
, a scholar of the Jin period (265–420 CE), who was so poor that he studied at night; he had to read by the snow’s reflected light.

4
. Ziyou’s boat: an allusion to Wang Ziyou
, son of the famous calligrapher, Wang Xizhi (4th century). Ziyou was such an unpredictable person that he once took a boat in a snowy night to see a friend. As he reached the door of his friend’s house, however, he turned back at once. When asked why, Ziyou replied, “I felt like coming to see him when I started, but as I arrived, I no longer had the feeling. There’s no reason therefore for me to see him!” See
Jin Shu
,
j
80, in
Ershiwushi
2: 1291d.

5
. Wang Gong’s robe: an allusion to the story of
, an official of the Jin, reputedly so handsome that when he walked through the snow in a crane-feathered gown, a friend exclaimed, “Truly one of the immortals.” See
Jin Shu
,
j
84, in
Ershiwushi
2: 1300b.

6
. Su Wu:
(2nd century BCE), an emissary who spent nineteen years in captivity among the Huns. Banished by their leader to be a shepherd, Su had to drink melted snow and eat his blanket to keep from starvation. See the
Han Shu
,
j
54, in
Ershiwushi
1: 0492c.

7
. White Dew:
bailu
, one of the twenty-four solar terms naming the successive stages of the calendrical lunar year. See JW 1, chapter 1, n. 7 for a complete list.

8
.
La
:
, the so-called People’s New Year, which occurs on the third
xu
day after winter solstice (January 16–27). For an account of this annual beginning and its rituals, see Derk Bodde (Princeton, NJ, and Hong Kong, 1975), pp. 49–138.

9
. Seven worthies . . . :
, a common theme for paintings of snow. The identity of the seven worthies is nonetheless controversial, though they are usually thought of as the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove
. See the
Jin Shu
,
j
49 in
Ershiwushi
, 2: 1214a–17a;
Shishuo xinyu
,
j
6, 28a (SBBY);
A New Account of Tales of the World
, trans. Richard B. Mather (Minneapolis, 1976), pp. 371–91.