Chu Dongshan (simplified: 褚东山, traditional: 褚東山, pinyin: Chǔ Dōngshān, jyutping: cyu5 dung1 saan1) was the Fisherman among the four disciples of Great Master Yideng, the Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar. Like the others he had been a minister of the Dali Kingdom under Duan Zhixing, and he followed his sovereign when he became a monk.
Biography
Minister of Dali
The Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar had all served Duan Zhixing as ministers at the Dali court. Yinggu, confronting the four, named their old offices as grand chancellor, grand general, admiral of the navy and commander of the imperial guard. When Duan Zhixing abdicated and became a monk, they would not leave him and lived with him at Tianlong Monastery outside Dali, taking turns for the first three years to help his son govern. They later followed him to the mountains of western Hunan near the Black Marsh, where he sat in meditation, and guarded the way up to him.
The waterfall
The Fisherman kept watch at a waterfall at the foot of the mountain, with an iron boat and an iron oar for the rapids above. When Guo Jing and Huang Rong arrived seeking Yideng’s help for Huang Rong’s wound, he was fishing for a pair of golden salamanders that he had been keeping for his shishu, the Sindhu Monk, and that had escaped into the falls. Guo Jing’s startled cry cost him his catch and he nearly struck him. Guo Jing then stood under the waterfall, lifted a boulder and caught both salamanders, but the Fisherman still refused to lead them to his master, declaring that “Emperor Duan” was no longer of this world. While he went to put the salamanders away, Huang Rong had Guo Jing take his iron boat and oar, and they rowed up the rapids while he stood cursing on the bank.
At the temple he and his fellow disciples confronted the pair, believing they had been sent to harm Yideng, and Guo Jing tore the iron oar from his grasp and handed it back. When Yinggu later came for Yideng, the Fisherman tried to stop her, but she slipped under his arm.
Mount Hua
The Fisherman went with Yideng to Mount Hua for the second contest. There he caught a pair of golden salamanders in a mountain stream; one escaped and fell into Zhou Botong’s collar, terrifying him into thinking a snake had bitten him, until the Fisherman pulled it out. The four disciples bowed to Hong Qigong and left with Yideng.
Heroes’ Feast duel
During the Heroes’ Feast convened by Guo Jing and Huang Rong in The Return of the Condor Heroes, Chu Dongshan represented Yideng’s camp in the second round of matches. Wielding an iron oar, he fought the Tibetan strongman Daerba to a stalemate for more than a hundred exchanges. The duel only ended when Daerba shattered the oar with brute strength, and Chu Dongshan conceded rather than fight on empty-handed.
Personality & traits
The Fisherman was a big man with hands like palm-leaf fans and a bristling curly beard. He had a hot temper and swore freely, but checked himself before striking Huang Rong, and was honest enough to refuse Guo Jing’s gift of the salamanders because accepting it would oblige him to repay a favour he could not grant.
Martial arts abilities
As a disciple of Yideng, Chu Dongshan learnt the One Yang Finger. He fought with an iron oar (铁桨), and handled an iron boat on the rapids below his master’s retreat.
Relationships
- Great Master Yideng — His sovereign and shifu, whom he guarded with absolute loyalty.
- Fellow disciples — Zhang Shaoshou, Wu Santong and Zhu Ziliu, the Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar.
- Daerba — The Tibetan warrior who broke his oar at the Heroes’ Feast.
Behind the scenes
In The Legend of the Condor Heroes the Fisherman is never named. In The Return of the Condor Heroes he is known as the Diancang Fisherman (点苍渔隐).