The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee Chapters 4-10 Summary & Analysis Chapter 4 Summary: “Disguised as a Doctor, Judge Dee Visits a Patient; Finding a Dumb Girl, His Suspicions Are Aroused” The old woman tells Judge Dee that she is a widow and that her only son, who would have been 28 years old, died a year ago right after the Dragon Boat. The title given, 'Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee', is what Van Gulik assumed the original work was called, before the second part was added. However, he never actually obtained a copy of that original work or a conclusive evidence that it had existed under that name.
Judge Dee
| “As the Chinese have been so often represented—and too often misrepresented—in our popular crime literature, it seems only just that they themselves be allowed to have their own say for once in this field. All the more so because this branch of literature was fully developed in China several centuries before Edgar Allan Poe or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were born.” |
--Robert Van Gulik (translator), Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An): An Authentic Eighteenth-Century Chinese Detective Novel, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1976, From the Translator’s Preface, p. I |
Judge Dee--Representative of the Authentic Chinese Detective Story
Before Judge Dee was introduced to the West, stories ofChinese characters, villains and detectives were often written about by Caucasian writers whohad no knowledge or experience of Chinese people, traditions, history,religion, philosophy, or actual lifestyle(s).
English author Sax Rohmer, for example, had read a newspaperaccount of a Chinese criminal organization being rounded up and arrested inLondon. The newspaper story was real but Sax Rohmer created a villainousChinese fictional character—Dr. Fu Manchu—purely out of his imagination with noreal knowledge or understanding of Chinese people. The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu (published in 1914) was the first of aseries of novels that followed the exploits of this “evil oriental genius.”(This offensive phrase reflected the attitude of many ignorant people who weresuspicious of people they knew nothing about.)
The Fu Manchu books became a template used by other writerswho emulated this negative and false representation.
Another Caucasian writer, Earl Derr Biggers, avoidedfollowing this pattern. Biggers published his first novel—Seven Keys to Baldpate— in 1914 (the same year that saw The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu in print). SevenKeys to Baldpate was an overnight and international success.
The success of SevenKeys to Baldpate gave Earl Derr Biggers enough money to marry and travel onvacation. In Honolulu, Hawaii, he read a newspaper article about Chang Apana, aChinese man who had worked for the Honolulu police force for several decades.
Biggers said, “Sinister and wicked Chinese are old stuff. .. but an amiable Chinese on the side of law and order had never been used.”Biggers created the fictional Chinese detective Charlie Chan.
While the Charlie Chan novels made great strides inimproving the attitudes of the West toward Chinese people, it also came out ofBiggers’s imagination. Biggers, who studied Literature at Harvard University,apparently did no research about the Chinese people.
Ernest Bramah (creator of literature’s first blinddetective, Max Carrados) published a series of books about a Chinesestoryteller named Kai Lung.
Examples such as these prompted Robert Van Gulik to write:
| This novel Dee Goong An is offered here in a complete translation. Possibly it would have had a wider appeal if it had been entirely re-written in a form more familiar to our readers. Then, however, much of the genuine Chinese atmosphere of the original would have disappeared, and in the end both the Chinese author, and the Western reader would have been the losers. Some parts may be less interesting to the Western reader than others, but I am confident that also in this literal translation the novel will be found more satisfactory than the palpable nonsense that is foisted on the long-suffering public by some writers of faked “Chinese” stories, which describe a China and a Chinese people that exist nowhere except in their fertile imaginations. (Van Gulik, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, pp. VIII, IX) |
How a Caucasian Developed an Authentic 17-Century Chinese Detective Novel and Introduced it to the West
Robert Van Gulik (August 9, 1910— September 24, 1967) wasborn in the Netherlands. When he was three years old, his parents moved to theDutch East Indies to what is now Jakarta, taking him with them, where theylived until he was twelve.
Van Gulik studied Mandarin while growing up. As an adult, hecould speak, read, and write Mandarin. He also came to know the Chinese peopleand their culture, traditions, and beliefs intimately.
He went home to the Netherlands for his advanced education(receiving a PhD in 1935). Eventually, he returned to Japan and China. In 1943,he married Shui Shifang, daughter of a Qing dynasty Imperial Mandarin; togetherthey had four children.
Van Gulik became a sinologist and an ambassador to China onbehalf of the West.
Van Gulik discovered that China had full-fledged detectivenovels in the 17th century. He wanted to introduce these to the Westbut there were significant differences between the Chinese of the 17thcentury and Western detective stories of the 20th century.Therefore, he had to find something that would be palatable to Western readers.
17-Century Chinese Detective Stories and the Role of the Judge
These books had titles like Bao Goong An, P’eng Goong An,and Di Goong An. The first word inthe title represented the surname of the detective; “Goong” is his title as amagistrate; “An” has to do with one or more cases that the detective may beinvestigating.
Thus, when Van Gulik translated Di Goon An, he titled the English version Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. Chinese detective novels of this period follow the actualprotocol of Chinese law and procedure current at the time they were written. Isuppose, therefore, that they can be seen as prototypes of police procedurals. Typically, the Judge investigates three cases during eachbook. These cases are separate and unrelated but may overlap in the timeperiod—an earlier case may be unsolved as another case is initiated,investigated, and solved. | Click Image to Click the image below to |
Van Gulik points out that, in his role as a governmentofficial, Judge Dee “performs the functions of judge, jury, prosecutor anddetective.” Van Gulik writes, for example, “This present novel describesvividly how careful a judge must be to show to the people at large that heconducts his cases in the right way.”
The Protocol Follows Genuine 17-Century Chinese Law Procedures
Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee
The protocol often begins when a citizen wants to lodge acomplaint or report an incident (although the judge himself sometimes initiatesan investigation as a result of something he himself has observed). The judgeis called from his chambers, dresses in his magisterial robe, and takes hisplace on a dais in the courtroom. Court, or “Tribunal,” is now in session.
Upon entering the tribunal, the citizen strikes a gong, thenkneels on the floor before the judge and touches his head to the floor severaltimes. He or she may say something like, “This unworthy person wishes to reportthat a body has been discovered on a road in my village. The deceased was lastseen at such-and-such a hotel. I believe that the proprietor of the hotel maybe involved in the victim’s murder.”
The judge has the authority to detain such a person in casehe is making a false allegation or it is later determined that the person hasmotivation to lie.
The murdered victim is brought to the court and a doctor or coronerexamines the corpse and reports his observations in great detail. An assistant,acting as court stenographer, takes notes, which become part of the officialcourt records. The following quote from the novel explicates this process:
The coroner thereupon spread a reed mat on the ground, and had the corpse placed on top of it. He washed it clean with hot water, and then looked over the body inch by inch. He thus reported to Judge Dee: “One male corpse, one knife wound at the back of the shoulder, 2½ inches long, ½ inch broad. On the left side a wound caused by a kick, ½ inch deep, 5 inches in diameter. One knife wound in the throat, 3 inches long, ½ inch broad, a deep cut right through the windpipe”. This report was duly entered in the records by the coroner’s assistants, and the document was placed on the desk of the judge. After Judge Dee had pondered over this report for a few moments, he descended from his chair, and himself carefully looked over the corpse. Having verified the coroner’s report as correct, he affixed his red seal to this document, and gave orders to place the corpse in a temporary coffin, and to put up an official notice to the public, asking all who knew the murdered man to present themselves at the tribunal. (Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee) |
Judge Dee Investigates
In Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, the proprietor of the hotel (as alluded to above) is summoned tothe tribunal. He, too, must strike the gong upon entering the court, then kneelbefore the judge and touch his head to the floor.
After hearing the allegations, he may respond, “The victimhas indeed stayed at the hotel of this unworthy person. But in the morning , heate breakfast, settled his bill, and went on his way. This is the first I haveheard about his death.”
The judge uses his discretion as he investigates the case.Although modern forensic techniques and tools were unavailable to investigatorsat that time, Judge Dee demonstrates great skill and wisdom in his approach. Heprovides detailed written reports to his superiors, outlining his course ofaction.
During his investigation, the judge is autonomous. In Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, afterdelegating specific instructions for his staff assistants to pursue certainlines of inquiry, he feels the need to investigate himself while incognito. VanGulik translates:
At last Judge Dee became alarmed, and thought: “Since I assumed my office in this district, I have solved not a few intricate cases. How can it be that that which is apparently the last phase of this investigation, is so slow in materializing? It is best that I myself set out on a secret investigation to see whether I cannot trace this murderer”. So the next morning Judge Dee rose early, and disguised himself as an itinerant physician. Like a literati, he had a good knowledge of drugs and the arts of healing, so that he did not risk exposure through ignorance of the medical science. Moreover he knew that people in general will tell a doctor more than others. He also reasoned that it was probable that the murderer during the scuffle would have suffered some injuries himself, and, being in hiding, would rather invoke the help of an itinerant doctor, than of a local physician. Shouldering a portable medicine chest well stocked with herbs, pills and powders, Judge Dee set out on his investigation. Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee) |
Some Differences Between 17-Century Chinese and 20th-Century Western Detective Novels
Van Gulik chose totranslate this book over others because he thought it would be more palatableto Western readers than others of its genre. There are some importantdifferences, as well as similarities, in the way 17th-centuryChinese and 20th-century Western readers approach this form of literature.
For example, Chinese readers of this time were extremelydetail oriented, which often resulted in a book including so many annotationsand footnotes that a story could be extended into a number of volumes. Dee Goon An had fewer than Van Gulik hadcome across in other Chinese detective novels.
The investigation could include consultation with a spiritmedium. For example, the detective or one of his delegates could bring thechopsticks that the deceased used to eat his last meal and ask the medium to contactthe victim and ask him to provide any details as to the circumstances of hisdeath.
Or the judge could visit the gravesite of the murdered man,attempt to commune in a sort of prayer, and ask the victim to give the judge adream that could enable him to solve the case.
Although Judge Dee does this in Dee Goon An, the supernatural element is toned down compared tosome other Chinese detective novels of the period. There is plenty of sound,rational logic and deduction. (Van Gulik points out that some contemporaryWestern detective novels employ the supernatural element, as well. For me, JohnDickson Carr comes to mind in this respect.)
Then, too, the judge is allowed to torture suspects toobtain a confession. But this technique is not to be used lightly: If a suspectconfesses under torture and is executed but later found to be innocent of thecrime, the Judge and his entire staff may be executed in the same manner.
In one case, Judge Dee tortured a suspect who failed toconfess. Dee reported himself to his superiors knowing that, if was unable to solvethe case, he would suffer the same torture himself.
A '7th-Century Chinese 221 Baker Street'
VanGulik calls the Judges private quarters a “Chinese 7th century 221BBaker Street” and describes what Judge Dee may have done during his leisuremoments. He also describes his staff, which includes, among others, SergeantHoong, about whom Van Gulik writes, “This sergeant also serves Judge Dee as akind of Watson; for having seen the judge grow up, he can, as an old andtrusted servant, give his master advice, and Judge Dee can freely discuss withhim his problems without losing ‘face,’ or jeopardizing the dignity of hisoffice.”
Judge Dee Pdf
At the successful conclusion of a case, the judge sentencesthe criminal. To a Western reader, the story is over and we have no furtherinterest. We “know” the criminal will get his or her just desserts, whetherjail-time or execution. All we want to know is “whodunnit,” or “whydunnit, or“howdunnit.” We move on to read the next detective, crime, or murder mystery bookon our list.
Butthe Chinese reader of this time period wants to see the justice done. Executions are public and are described ingreat detail.
One criminal may be tied to a cross and strangled threetimes—being revived after each of the first two times and, finally, beingstrangled to death.
Another criminal may suffer the “death of 1,000 cuts”—along, slow, excrutiatingly painful death involving being cut so many times he or sheultimately bleeds out and dies after hours of conscious suffering and agony.
So,finally, Western culture is introduced to an authentic Chinese detective novel.I find the book a very satisfying read, and the detective work is very goodindeed.
Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee Download Games Free
Dee Goong An as a Template for Pastiches
VanGulik provides a terrific “Translator’s Preface” and “Translator’sPost-Script.” He suggests that Dee GoonAn (Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee)would provide a suitable template for a Western writer to work from in order todevelop pastiches when he writes, “I think that it might be an interestingexperiment if one of our modern writers of detective stories would try his handat composing an ancient Chinese detective story himself. The ‘pattern’ is givenin the novel translated here, while in the books listed above one will find arich variety of peculiarly Chinese plots. That it is possible to write a finedetective story, which at the same time is acceptable from a scholarly pointyof view, is proved by Agatha Christie’s DeathComes As the End, the scene of which novel is laid in ancient Egypt.” —VanGulik, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee,pp 231-232).
Thenhe, himself, creates a number of pastiches which have been published and are in print and accessible today.
The Judge Dee Books
TheJudge Dee books remain in print today and are highly recommended. The first, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, is atranslation by Robert Van Gulik. The subsequent books are pastiches by VanGulik.
- CelebratedCases of Judge Dee (Dee Goon An)[1949]
- The Chinese Maze Murders [1957]
- The Chinese Bell Murders [1958]
- The Chinese Gold Murders [1959]
- The Chinese Lake Murders [1960]
- The Chinese Nail Murders [1961]
- The Haunted Monastery [1961]
- The Red Pavilion [1961]
- The Lacquer Screen [1962]
- The Emperor’s Pearl [1963]
- The Monkey and the Tiger [1965]
- The Willow Pattern [1965]
- Murder in Canton [1966]
- The Phantom of the Temple [1966]
- Judge Dee at Work [1967]
- Necklace and Calabash [1967]
- Poets and Murder [1968]
Click Image to Click the image below to | Click Image to Click the image below to |
Click Image to Click the image below to | Click Image to Click the image below to |
Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders--a Movie Made for Television
A Judge Dee movie, JudgeDee and the Monastery Murders, was made for television in 1974. Based on The Haunted Monastery, a pastiche thatVan Gulik wrote, the script was credited to Nicholas Meyer, who had writtenseveral Sherlock Holmes novel-length pastiches himself and directed the movieversion of his first—The Seven PercentSolution.
Judge Dee and theMonastery Murders was faithful to the Van Gulik novel and I give it highmarks. One wishes it was available on DVD or mp4.
'Detective Dee' Action Adventure Fantasy Mystery Movies
I have viewed Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame(2010) and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) and enjoyed themfor their own merits. At the time of this writing, Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) has yet to bereleased.
Click Image to Click the image below to Click Image to Click the image below to | “Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon meets Sherlock Holmes”was the promotional tag line for the first film. Some reviewers identify the “Sherlock Holmes”reference as belonging specifically to the Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey vehicle. Although inspired by the Judge Dee character, the stories thatmake up these films are original and fall into the categories of ActionAdventure Fantasy Mystery films, with high quality production values and plentyof CGI (Computer Generated Image) special effects and stunts. Thecharacter of “Detective Dee” is clearly based on the Judge Dee of the books andis faithful to the spirit of JudgeDee. But these films are not based on the books and are more suitable for fansof martial arts movies, while readers and fans of the Judge Dee books tend togive them low ratings. |
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
(This is a link through which I make a small commission if you buy. See here for more details.)
So who is Judge Dee? In The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An) by an anonymous author and translated by Robert Hans Van Gulik, we begin to learn about him. The preface of this book discusses the characteristics of Chinese detective stories, a brief overview and analysis of Chinese law, and the background for more studies. As it turns out, Judge Dee was a real person, a famous statesmen and magistrate of the Tang dynasty. In works such as Dee Goong An, Judge Dee solves three murders independently of one another during the same time period. He was famous as a 'detector of crime,' and according to Van Gulik, the Chinese today consider him their 'master detective,' as popular as Sherlock Holmes is to us.
Robert Hans Van Gulik took this historical figure, Judge Dee, and wrote fiction in the Chinese detective style with Judge Dee as the main character. Van Gulik, a Dutch diplomat and scholar of 'things Chinese,' used data and incidents from old crime literature that he had translated. Reading this series of books, one will learn about the history of China during that period, Chinese law and procedure (including torture and punishment), Chinese society in general, and see illustrations interspersed throughout the books done as if from Chinese woodcuts and classical drawings. In the colophon of one of the books, Van Gulik states that 'in Judge Dee's time the Chinese wore no pig-tails... Men did their long hair up in a topknot, wore caps both inside and outside the house. They didn’t smoke tobacco and opium, which were introduced into China only many centuries later.' A few book titles include: The Lacquer Screen, The Chinese Lake Murders, The Chinese Bell Murder, and The Emperor's Pearl. They can be read independently of each other; however, the challenge is to find and read the entire 15-book series. (I have 12.) Finding them can occur only when you discover which book has the chronology in it. In fact I'll tell you. it's in Judge Dee at Work. Then you can read them in their historical order. A clue: I did not find all the books in one place or part of the country. They are thin paperbacks, sometimes concentrating on one case; others have a couple of stories within one book.
The books follow a similar pattern — the crime is committed and the reader then follows Judge Dee and his assistants as they discover how it was done and by whom. This is light and pleasurable reading. You will not be held in breathtaking suspense, but you will find yourself listening in on intriguing conversations. You'll be surprised how easily you have been taken back. Let's listen in on Judge Dee: 'I have learned from this case how important it is to study carefully our ancient handbooks of detection, Hoong. There it is stated again and again that the first step of a murder investigation is to ascertain the character, daily life and habits of the victim. And in this case it was indeed the murdered man's personality that supplied the key.'