Enter the book.
Stay for the people.
New to Water Margin? Begin with the novel, meet the brotherhood, or follow one famous turning point. Four original English guides to a world larger than its legends.
Four doors into Liangshan.
What Is Water Margin?
An instructor loses his home. An officer becomes a troublesome monk. A traveler meets a tiger. Their roads lead to the same refuge—and to people they would never have met in ordinary life.
Who Are the 108 Heroes of Liangshan?
A clerk leads them. A teacher plans their campaigns. Boatmen, innkeepers, officers, and three women join the company. The famous number holds much more than an army of fighters.
Why Did Lin Chong Become an Outlaw?
He is driven to Liangshan through a series of closed exits: staying quiet, accepting exile, doing his assigned work. None keeps him safe from the men who want him gone.
Wu Song and the Tiger
The best-known image is the fist striking the tiger. The scene begins much earlier—with wine, a warning, and a traveler who does not want to admit he was wrong.