by Wilt L Idema (Harvard University, USA)

Pure, orthodox and incorruptible, Judge Bao has been serving as the preeminent embodiment of justice in China for almost a thousand years, so much so his court cases have been adapted as stories, novels and plays over the centuries. Now, for the very first time a series of eight ballad-stories on Judge Bao, dating from the period 1250–1450, are offered in a complete and annotated translation. These texts will provide the reader a reflection of the legend of Judge Bao in its earliest phase of development, with an extended introduction placing the ballad-stories in context with the development of the Judge Bao legend. These ballad-stories, in contrast to past plays dating from the same period, present abuse of power and corruption as endemic in the courts and bureaucratic service, and show Judge Bao imposing the rule of law even on the emperor.

• The Tale of the Early Career of Rescriptor Bao
• Judge Bao Selling Rice in Chenzhou
• The Tale of the Humane Ancestor Recognizing his Mother
• Dragon-Design Bao Sentences the White Weretiger
• Rescriptor Bao Decides the Case of the Weird Black Pot
• The Tale of the Case of Dragon-Design Bao Sentencing the Emperor's Brothers-in-law Cao
• The Tale of Zhang Wengui
• The Story of how Shi Guanshou's Wife Liu Dusai on the Night of the Fifteenth, on Superior Prime, Watched the Lanterns, Part One: The Story of the Judgment Dragon-Design Bao in the Case of Prince Zhao and Sun Wenyi, Part, Two