Tales of the Drunken Swordsman

This full-length novel vividly recounts the deeds of the famed hidden hero, "Drunkard" Zhang San, whose extraordinary skills and chivalrous acts made him a legend in the capital. Zhang San was a real person, a renowned martial artist in Beijing in the late Qing and early Republican eras, and the founder of the Sanhuang Gong martial arts school. His given name was Zhang Changzhen. Born in the early Tongzhi era of the Qing dynasty, he settled in Yangyi Hutong in Dongdan, Beijing, in middle age. In his youth, he made a living as a bodyguard, earning renown throughout the country. Later, having seen through society's dark side, he withdrew from public life and returned home. He loved alcohol and spent his days with bleary, drunken eyes; as he was also third in birth order, people nicknamed him "Drunkard Zhang San." Generous and contemptuous of the powerful, he secretly helped ordinary people and left behind many celebrated stories. He was a hero beloved by the people of old Beijing.