Page 65 - Are You Future Ready?

Chapter One - To Know the Present
Through the Past

Sideline

/ The extraordinary retainers in China /

The rich families in ancient China always had
servants and retainers, they acted as guards or
porters when the masters were away from home,
and they worked as domestic workers to take care
of the daily living needs of their masters when they
were home; they were indispensable helpers.

The most famous Chinese retainers that appeal to
the masses are Hua An and Qiu xiang. They are the
characters in a popular folk comedy Three Smiles,
and Stephen Chow Sing Chi’s blockbuster movie
Flirting Scholar in 1993. The story focuses around
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Lady Hua’s maid Qiu Xiang, a beautiful and intelligent
girl who attracted Tang Yin (Bohu), one of the four
famous scholars in the Jiangnan region. Tang Yin
pretended to be a servant boy and served in Lady
Hua’s family to get close to Qiu Xiang.

The servant boy called Xinyan in Jin Yong (Louis
Cha)’s novel The Book and the Sword may be the
most loyal assistant. Xinyan followed the main
character Chen Jialuo and learnt martial arts from his
master since he was little. There is a scene in the
book where he implored Huo Qingtong who held the
military power to rescue his master Chen and other
fellows of the Red Flower Society. He knelt down for
the sake of his master. Readers are often impressed
by his loyalty.