Zhang Asheng

Zhang Asheng (simplified: 张阿生, traditional: 張阿生, pinyin: Zhāng Āshēng, jyutping: Zoeng1 Aa3 Sang1), the Laughing Buddha (笑弥陀), was the fifth of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan. A huge, cheerful butcher of great strength, he secretly loved Han Xiaoying and died saving her from Chen Xuanfeng, the first of the Eccentrics to fall.

Biography

Jiaxing

Zhang Asheng grew up in Jiaxing with the other Eccentrics; as a boy he would pull at one end of the iron spear in the Iron Spear Temple against Ke Zhen’e and Nan Xiren at the other.

At the Drunken Immortal Wineshop, when Qiu Chuji hurled the bronze vat of wine at the monk Jiaomu, Zhang Asheng caught it and lifted it above his head, though his foot went through the floorboards, then sent it back with the move Push Open the Window, Send Off the Moon. When Qiu Chuji threw it to him a second time, he caught it on his fat chest so that he could drink from it. In the drinking contest he drank half a bowl for Han Xiaoying when she began to falter.

At Fahua Monastery Qiu Chuji kicked his knife from his hand, but his fists were better than his weapon and he fought on barehanded. Unable to dodge a full-strength palm blow, he took it on his shoulder with his Iron Cloth Shirt, and it broke his upper arm.

Death in Mongolia

After six years of searching in Mongolia, the Eccentrics found Guo Jing. On the night they ambushed the Twin Evils of Dark Wind, Han Xiaoying ran down the hill to save the boy, and Zhang Asheng, who had long loved her without daring to show it, followed to shield her. When Chen Xuanfeng’s Nine Yin White Bone Claw came down on her head, he threw himself over her and took the claw in his back. Lying wounded, he kicked at Chen Xuanfeng’s hand to save her again and took a second claw in the leg, then clung to Chen’s waist until a punch to the crown of his head knocked him senseless.

He woke only to die. Han Xiaoying wept over him and told him she would marry him and belonged to the Zhang family for life, and that she had always loved him; he was overjoyed. At Zhu Cong’s bidding, Guo Jing kowtowed to him as his shifu. Zhang Asheng told the boy that his own talent was small too, that he must work hard, and that he must put chivalry and honour first all his life; his last words to Han Xiaoying were “Teach the boy well. Don’t let him lose to… that stinking Daoist.” The Eccentrics buried him in Mongolia, and they later visited his grave with Guo Jing, the last time on the morning Guo Jing left for the south.

Remembrance

The surviving Eccentrics often thought of him. They reflected that, had he lived, his plain, solid skills would have suited Guo Jing best, and Han Xiaoying later regretted that she had not let him know her heart months before he died.

Personality & traits

Physical appearance

He was a big, enormously fat man, weighing at least two hundred and thirty or forty jin, dressed in a long apron and greasy all over, with his shirt open on a hairy chest, his sleeves rolled up over black-haired arms, and a pointed knife about a foot long stuck in his leather belt, plainly a butcher of pigs and sheep. His fat face was always grinning.

Character traits

He was cheerful and simple, but quick to anger when the Eccentrics were insulted. He was a great drinker. He thought himself slow-witted and lazy in training, relying on his strength alone, and regretted it on his deathbed. He loved Han Xiaoying for years, but thought himself unworthy of her and never dared to show it.

Martial arts abilities

Iron Cloth Shirt

He had trained in the Iron Cloth Shirt (铁布衫), a hard external art that made his whole body thick and tough as if wrapped in oxhide.

Fist work

His fist work was far better than his weapon work.

Weapons

He carried a butcher’s knife (屠牛尖刀), a pointed knife about a foot long.

Relationships

Han Xiaoying

He loved Han Xiaoying in secret for years. As he lay dying, she pledged herself to him and vowed never to marry another.

Sworn siblings

He was the fifth of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan, who had sworn in blood to live and die together.

Guo Jing

Guo Jing kowtowed to him as his Fifth Shifu just before he died, but he never had the chance to teach the boy.

Behind the scenes

Portrayals

Zhang Asheng has been portrayed by various actors in adaptations of The Legend of the Condor Heroes:

Television Series

1983 series — Chan Wai-man as Zhang Asheng
1988 series — Liu Dan as Zhang Asheng
1994 series — Wang Weiguo as Zhang Asheng
2003 series — Bao Tianming as Zhang Asheng
2008 series — Wang Gang as Zhang Asheng
2017 series — Li Hongtao as Zhang Asheng
2024 series — Liu Zhihao as Zhang Asheng

Most adaptations emphasize Zhang Asheng’s jovial personality, his great physical strength, and his tragic sacrifice to protect Han Xiaoying, while showcasing his palm techniques and loyalty to the Seven Eccentrics.