3.1 The Traditional Heroism in China

Heroism is a core of Chinese traditional culture which also rooted in national cohesion. It's the moral support on which a nation relies for survival and development as well. Chinese traditional heroism derived from the  long social struggle is developing and maturing under Confucianism which has spread far in China, and has been quietly affect the generations of Chinese people for thousands of years. 

Pan Tianqiang has partitioned the heroes in ancient China into four types: national hero, imperial hero, folk hero and martial arts hero. National heroes turned up result from the long-term chaos caused by war. They came to fight against invasions  like “Yue Fei” in the history of China. Imperial heroes turned up to safeguard the territory unification like the emperor Qin and Han. Heroes in Water Margin are typical representatives of folk heroes for their kindness to help the people in need and fight against the evil for justice. Martial heroes are the idealization of folk heroes with super power in literatures(23). Every era has its own heroes with outstanding spirit in China’s history.