Dong Ping

Dong Ping
Water Margin character
Nickname	"General of Double Spears" (雙槍將)
Also known as	"Refined and Cultured General of Double Spears" (風流雙槍將)
Rank	15th, Steadfast Star (天立星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits
Tiger General of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan
Origin	Imperial general from Dongping Prefecture
Hometown	Shangdang, Hedong (in present-day Shanxi)
First appearance	Chapter 69
Weapon	Pair of spears
Names
Simplified Chinese	董平
Traditional Chinese	董平
Pinyin	Dǒng Píng
Wade-Giles	Tung P'ing

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Dong.

Dong Ping is a character from the epic Chinese novel The Water Margin. He is nicknamed "General of Double Spears" and ranks 15th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes.

Background

Dong Ping is from Shangdang, Hedong (in present-day Shanxi). He serves in Dongping Prefecture as a general. Dong Ping wields a pair of double spears in combat and is feared by many for his prowess in battle. Besides being an accomplished warrior, Dong Ping is also a connoisseur of music and the arts. He could play musical instruments and is described by women to be a romantic man. Hence, his nickname is sometimes lengthened to "Refined and Cultured General of Double Spears".

Becoming an outlaw

When the Liangshan outlaws led by Song Jiang attacked Dongping Prefecture, Song sends Yu Baosi and Wang Dingliu to announce the attack to the prefect of Dongping. The prefect is shocked but Dong Ping manages to calm him down. Dong Ping retorts furiously to the envoys that they will not surrender to Liangshan. He suggests to the prefect to have the envoys executed as an affirmation of their decision to defend Dongping Prefecture. However, the prefect does not heed Dong Ping's suggestion. He has Yu Baosi and Wang Dingliu driven out of the city after having them severely beaten up.

Shi Jin volunteers to infiltrate Dongping Prefecture and act as a spy for Liangshan through his friendship with a prostitute living in the city. Unfortunately, the mistress reports Shi Jin to the prefecture office and he is arrested and thrown into prison. Song Jiang immediately orders an offensive on Dongping Prefecture after receiving news that Shi has been captured. Dong Ping challenges the Liangshan outlaws to man-on-man duels but neither side emerged victorious after several rounds of fighting.

That night, Song Jiang lures Dong Ping into a trap and Dong is captured. Dong Ping decides to join the Liangshan cause after being persuaded by Song Jiang. He tricks the prefect into opening the city gates and the outlaws swarm in. Dongping Prefecture is captured by the outlaws and Shi Jin is rescued.

Death

Dong Ping becomes one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Liangshan cavalry. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the invading Liao army and rebel forces. During the Fang La campaign, Dong Ping and "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing are assigned to attack Dusong Pass. Dong Ping's left arm is injured by cannon fire but he continued fighting with the enemy general Li Tianrun despite his wounds. He is forced to retreat and Zhang Qing rushes forward to continue the fight for him, but is killed by Li Tianrun. Dong Ping attempts to avenge Zhang Qing but the enemy general Zhang Tao sneaks up on him and slices him into two from behind before he could do so.

References

• (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 31. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.