Murder, mystery, and courtroom drama -- Chinese style! "Sanxia wuyi" (later revised and called "Qixia wuyi") is a semi-historical narrative of adventure, crime-detection, and courtroom drama. It revolves around the famed Song dynasty magistrate, Bao Zheng (999-1072), who is more commonly known as Magistrate Bao (Bao Gong) and is the quintessential incorruptible government official. This novel, derived from the oral narrative attributed to the Qing storyteller Shi Yukun (fl. 1870s), was first published in 1879, after undergoing a complex and fascinating textual evolution. The non-historical...