Li Zi-Cheng and a female (Hakka) martyr

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

  Li Zi-Cheng and a female (Hakka) martyr

   Li Zi-Cheng was a poor peasant who lived in Mi Zhi district in 
Shaanxi province, China during the Ming Dynasty (1368AD to 1644AD). 
There was a famine in his home town in 1628AD. In order to survive Li 
borrowed some money from a landlord by the surname of Ai who charged 
high interest on Li's loan. Li worked very hard trying to earn more 
money to pay off his loan which he could not to so as the interest had
accumulated more than the capital. In order to punish Li the landlord
asked the district officer to arrest Li. 

   Landlord Ai was a very cruel man who tortured Li and put an iron chain 
on his neck and displayed him in the market place under the blazing sun
without food or water. The landlord was using the punishment of Li to give
an example to those who still owed him money. They would be treated like
Li if they did not pay back their loans on time. 

   The policeman who was assigned to guard Li could not stand seeing him 
suffered in this condition. He dragged Li to the shade under a tree and 
wanted to give him some water. Landlord Ai stopped the policeman from
doing so and pushed Li back to the same spot where he was lying before.
There were many people watching the manner that Landlord Ai was treating
Li. They disapproved the way that Li was being treated and they were
angry.
 
  Feeling sorry for Li a few young men broke the iron chain on Li's neck.
and carried him to the hill not far from the town. They elected Li as
their leader and together they formed an band.

   After a few days the district officer sent policemen to the hill to 
capture them. Li and his followers knew they could not escape death if 
they were captured. Using sticks as their weapons they rushed out from 
the forest and attacked the policemen who were surprised by the preemted 
attack. They fled back to the city without their weapons. With weapons 
on their hands Li and his brigand started touting the young and hungry
people in the vicinity to join them.  
   
   Shaanxi province was hard hit by this famine. Many people died of 
starvation. There were banditry every where and the central government 
could not cope with the disaster. Thousands upon thousands of hungry 
peasant joined him. He organised an army and marched eastward. He raided 
government treasuries and offices on the march.  
    
  In the April 1644AD he descended on Beijing, the capital of the Ming 
Dynasty. He captured Beijing and his followers ransacked it, as the 
numbered seventeenth Ming Emperor, Zhu You Jian fled to hide in a small 
hill not far from his palace. He hanged himself in the pavilion on that 
hill. That was the end of the Ming Dynasty.

   Many ladies-in-waiting committed suicide by jumping down into the 
palace's wells. However, the rebels found a young beautiful girl who was 
still alive. Her name was Fei Zhen Er a lady-in-waiting in the palace. 
She was only sixteen years old and it was believed she was a Hakka. She
lied to the rebels and said,

   "I am the daughter of the Emperor. I am a princess and 
    you people should respect me". 

   The rebels were overjoyed as they had found a very beautiful princess.   
They took her to see Li Zi Cheng who wanted to adopt her as his sister.
Whether she like it or not Li Zi Cheng married her to one of his 
assistaces called Luo Hu. Happily, Luo Hu agreed to marry her as she was 
like a fairy from heaven.

    On the wedding night Fei Zhen Er hid a small knife inside her 
wedding dress. During the consummation she stabbed him to death and she 
committed suicide herself.     
   
Generations later many girls hailed her as the female martyr of the Ming 
Dynasty and a shrine in remembrance of her was erected in Beijing.

Ming2 Shi3 (History of Ming Dynasty)

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.     chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au