Created by Shi Yukun Alias(es) Taoist Zhang (張道士) | Courtesy name Zechang (澤長) | |
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Appearances The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants and sequels Nickname(s) River Rat (翻江鼠)
The Patient (病夫) Hometown Jinling, Jiangnan East Circuit | ||
Jiang Ping, courtesy name Zechang, is a fictional Song dynasty knight-errant from the 19th-century Chinese novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. Nicknamed "River Rat" for his amazing swimming and freediving skills, he was able to stay underwater seemingly forever.
He and Lu Fang, Han Zhang, Xu Qing and Bai Yutang were sworn brothers collectively known as "Five Rats of Hollow Island". He ranked 4th in the group in age.
Highly witty, Jiang Ping is one of the most colorful characters in the original novel. He was scrawny, and his appearance more of a sick patient than a fighter, yet he often outsmarted opponents with clever tricks, disguises or lies. Researcher Susan Blader considered him the only "gallant" "whose intellectual, emotional, and physical prowess compares favourably with that of any 'heroes'".