The Three Scourges and Zhou Chu

Abstract

Most scholars consider Zhou Chu's story of eliminating the three scourges—killing a flood-dragon and a man-eating tiger, as well as reforming himself—to be well-nigh impossible. In particular, the story of his moral transformation and his learning from someone over two decades his junior still remains a point at debate. It is not my intent in this study to argue for its truthfulness. What I argue is that the evidence presented by the historical and modern scholars on both sides has failed to provide satisfactory explanation. They have also failed to draw upon the information available through the writings of both Lu Ji and Lu Yun. Thus, we need not only to reinvestigate the source materials discussed by scholars, but also to closely analyze and draw upon the evidence implicitly shown in the poetic correspondence between Lu Ji and Lu Yun. In this study, I argue that there is simply not enough evidence to dismiss it as a myth, and that the literary works of Lu Ji and Lu Yun must be taken into serious consideration while examining the legend of Zhou Chu's self-reformation included in the Shishuo xinyu and his Jin shu biography.