his reign, the philosophies of Legalism, Confucianism, and Taoism, were heavily relied upon for the basis of ethics within the common people and magistrates alike. Judge Dee's persona is derived directly from the strictest teachings of these philosophies. As the revered district magistrate of Chang-ping province, his conduct was expected to serve as a model for the citizens. This expectation demanded he act accordingly, abiding by the rules of the three philosophies.

Within the three cases presented to Judge Dee, there were many examples of his firm belief in legalistic values. Upon hearing anything that seems slightly out of the spans of truthfulness, he inflicts swift and harsh punishments. For instance, in the first case, The Double Murder at Dawn, he questions Wardens Pang's involvement in the crime. When he does not instan°tly solicit the expected response to his questioning, Warden pang is quickly "beaten with the heavy bamboo" (p15). Legalism embodies the belief that people must be controlled with a strict hand. Another example of Judge Dee's strong resolve to uphold

The final philosophy that contributed to the Judges character is Taoism. This philosophy embodies faith in all things spiritual and simple. The Judges tenacity in Taoism is obvious because of the way he accepts supernatural occurrences as truth. Where others were skeptical, the Judge was resolute. While staying in the city temple the Judge meditates, this act is a Taoist idea through and through. What you are trying to achieve is a level of spiritual peace by becoming one with your surroundings. The Judge relies heavily on spiritual inspiration when mental rigor fails. When he finally succumbs to sleep, he is plagued by dreams about the strange corpse cas¨e. Rather than dismissing the dreams as an illusion (delusion) he seriously considers the content, believing that they are the keys to the crime. When allowing himself to be led by the "spirits" he makes crucial discoveries pertaining to the case. Without his blind belief in dreams, some of the most important clues concerning his cases would never have been uncovered.

the ideas of legalism takes place in the case of The Strange Corpse. The accused, Mrs.Djou, had a talent for convicting speech. She drew

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Approximate Word count = 790
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)