Chinese Bell Murders Essay

The Chinese Bell Murders plays the roles of many different types of documents. It is a worthy piece of fiction that can be read for pure enjoyment and compared to detective stories like Sherlock Holmes. It is also a helpful secondary source to a student who is learning about Chinese history because it provides a glimpse into the society that this history is based on. When one attempts to look at the characters, given circumstances, and plot that spawn from this novel, it is easy to put these things into the greater context of Chinese history because of its historical background and the references that it makes to all forms of society including religion, social class, government, and the justice system of that period.
The Chinese Bell Murders is a number of stories interwoven having to do with a magistrate named Judge Dee. As the district magistrate of Poo-yang, Judge Dee performed the roles of detective, jury, and obviously judge. He was the guardian of law in Poo-yang and...