Shi Jin

Shi Jin is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Nine-Tattoo Dragon", he ranks 23rd among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Son of Squire Shi, headman of the Shi Family Village in Huayin County in present-day Shaanxi, Shi Jin has been very fond of martial arts since childhood. He has trained under many masters, each for a short time. He also makes acquaintances with jianghu figures (roving men with fighting skill) and spars with them. With his torso tattoed with nine dragons, he is nicknamed "Nine-Tattoo Dragon".

Shi Jin is the first of the 108 Stars of Destiny to appear in the novel.He is practising with a staff in his house's courtyard when Wang Jin runs into him. Wang, originally a martial arts instructor of the Imperial Guards, is on the run from Gao Qiu, who has been suddenly appointed the grand marshal and therefore his boss. Fearing persecution by Gao who is still embittered over a feud with his father, Wang flees for Weizhou with his mother. They happened to pass by Shi Family Village, where Shi Jin's father offered them temporary lodging.

Finding Shi Jin's combat skill not fit for real fighting, Wang utters an unfavourable remark. Stung, Shi Jin challenges him to a fight. He would not budge even when his father chided him for being mean.He is then beaten by Wang. Humbled, Shi Jin apologises to Wang and requests to be trained by him.

Wang Jin stays on for an extended period, during which he imparts his skills to Shi Jin. He then leaves with his mother.Shi Jin becomes the new head of the Shi family village following the death of his father.

An illustration of Shi Jin by Chen Hongshou

Shi Jin's life takes a drastic turn after he befriended three bandit chiefs who occupy the nearby Mount Shaohua (少華山; southeast of present-day Hua County, Shaanxi).It begins one day when the outlaws' food supply runs low. Chen Da, one of the three leaders, leads some men to pillage Huayin County for replenishment. They come past the Shi Family Village, where Shi Jin blocks their path and captures Chen in a one-on-one duel. The other two chiefs, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun, come to the village to beg Shi Jin to release Chen. Moved by their brotherhood bond, Shi Jin frees Chen Da and becomes their close friend. From then on, they often exchange gifts and feast together.

But one day, a servant of Shi Jin, back from an errand to Mount Shaohua, gets drunk, falls asleep at the roadside near the village, and loses the reply letter the chiefs wrote to his master.The letter in fact was discovered by a hunter who submits it to the county magistrate. Soldiers are sent to the village to arrest Shi Jin.

Shi Jin is having a party with the three chiefs at his home when he is besieged.He burns down his manor as they fight their way out.Thus Shi Jin becomes an outlaw. Back in the Shaohua stronghold, the three men invite Shi Jin to join their band. But he declines and leaves to find his teacher Wang Jin.

Shi Jin reaches Weizhou (渭州; around present-day Pingliang, Gansu), where he meets and befriends Lu Da, a local garrison officer. Later, he meets Lu again, who by then has become a monk with the Buddhist name Lu Zhishen. They team up to eliminate two evil men at the rundown Waguan Temple.

Shi Jin returns to Mount Shaohua to join Zhu Wu, Chen Da and Yang Chun. One day, he learns that Prefect He, the governor of Hua prefecture, has abducted the daughter of a craftsman to force her to be his concubine. He attempts to sneak into the prefect's house to save the woman but ends up being captured and imprisoned. Lu Zhishen, who has come to invite Shi Jin to join Liangshan, rushes to Huazhou to rescue him. But he is lured by Prefect He into his office and captured too. The outlaws of Mount Shaohua then turn to Liangshan Marsh for help. Song Jiang leads an expedition to the prefecture. There they impersonate as men sent from the emperor and order the unsuspecting Prefect He to come out of the city to pay his respects. As soon as He turns up, the outlaws kill him, fight their way into the city, and rescue Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen. Shi Jin and the Mount Shaohua outlaws join Liangshan.

When the Liangshan outlaws are attacking Dongping prefecture, Shi Jin volunteers to sabotage the city from within.As he knows a prostitute in the city, he uses her abode as his safe house. But the brothel owner reports him to the governor, resulting in his arrest. He is freed only after the outlaws overran Dongping.

After all the 108 Stars of Destiny have re-assembled, Shi Jin is made one of the Eight Tiger Cub Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan cavalry. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and domestic rebels after the group received amnesty from Emperor Huizong..

During the campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Shi Jin makes a major contribution by slaying an enemy officer, Shen Gang, in the battle of Runzhou (潤州; present-day Runzhou District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu). Later, he and five other Liangshan heroes are assigned to lead an attack on Yuling Pass (昱嶺關; near present-day Zhupu Village, She County, Anhui), which is guarded by Pang Wanchun. Shi Jin meets his end when Pang pierces him with a single arrow shot. The other five Liangshan heroes are slain by Pang Wanchun's archers.