The Copper Bell Case

The Judge Dee mysteries successfully created a Chinese Sherlock Holmes and were translated and published in many languages, leaving a major mark on the history of cultural exchange between China and the world. The translated edition of The Judge Dee Mysteries is planned to include fifteen volumes. Zhang Ling, who has studied Robert van Gulik for many years, is responsible for the translation, as well as scholarly yet accessible annotations and afterwords. Since this is the only version currently available on the market translated independently by a single person, the work is time-consuming and labor-intensive, so the first five volumes are being released initially: The Chinese Gold Murders, The Chinese Nail Murders, The Chinese Lake Murders, The Chinese Bell Murders, and The Chinese Maze Murders. Each volume includes illustrations by Robert van Gulik himself, rich in classical charm and a pleasure to behold. The Chinese Bell Murders takes place in 668 CE, when Judge Dee is appointed magistrate of Puyang County. With the help of several assistants, he matches wits with formidable foes and solves the Half-Moon Street rape and murder case, the lecherous monk case at the Temple of Universal Compassion, and the case of the nameless skeleton beneath the copper bell. At last, the mysteries are unraveled, leaving readers deeply moved. In Chapter Nine, Luo Guanzhong, magistrate of Jinhua County, makes his first appearance in a delightful guest role.