Shui Bo Liang Shan , located in Liangshan county in east Shandong Pvivance,is a beautiful scnic spot beause of the 108 heroes in Chinese ancient novel Water Margin.
Water Margin is vaguely based upon the historical bandit Song Jiang and his thirty-six companions. The group was active in the Huai River region and eventually surrendered to government troops in 1119. They are recorded in the official history of Song.The name of Song Jiang appearing in the chapter of Emperor Huizhong, the activities of the gang in the chapter for Zhang Shuye Folk stories about Song Jiang circulated during the Southern Song. The first text to name Song Jiang's thirty-six companions was the 12th century Guixin Zashi. Among the thirty-six are Lu Junyi, Guan Sheng, Ruan Xiaoer, Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi, Liu Tang, Hua Rong and Wu Yong. Some of the characters to later become associated with Song Jiang also appeared around this time. They include Sun Li, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song. There is considerable disagreement as to the author of Water Margin. Most consider the first seventy chapters to have been written by Shi Nai'an, whilst the last thirty chapters were written by Luo Guanzhong, also the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Luo may have been the disciple of Shi Nai'an. It has also been suggested that Shi Nai'an did not exist but was merely a pseudonym for Luo Guanzhong himself. Clues from the text itself strongly suggest that the author was a native of Zhejiang province (as both Luo and Shi were) who had little knowledge of northern China.
Song Jiang was the leader of a bandit group in the 12th century, during the Song Dynamics . His group was active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan, before surrendering to government troops. He features as one of the heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin, the leader of an army of bandits on Mount Liang. In the gallant fraternity, he was known as Timely Rain.
