Beggars' Sect
By admin on 2015-01-12

The Beggars' Sect (丐帮) is featured most prominently in works of Wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect is also featured in popular culture as well, such as in Hong Kong martial arts films and other forms of media.

As its name suggests, the members are mostly beggars but they are also non-beggars as well. They are noticeable by the public for dressing and behaving like ordinary beggars. The members are characterised by their strict code of conduct and respect for ranks. They uphold justice and help the poor. They also defend their nation and race from foreign invasion as well. For example, in Return of the Condor Heroes, the Beggars' Sect plays an important role in defending the city of Xiangyang from Mongolian invaders.

Besides, the sect has a wide communication network and its members are reputed for having excellent information-gathering skills. These are attributed to the sect's large population size, the nature of members which allow them to blend in easily and the organisational structure.

The Beggars' Sect is also one of the largest, most famous and highly-recognised martial arts sects in the Wulin. As mentioned in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, the Beggars' Sect is said to be the "first largest sect in the Central Plains" . Besides, there are also sayings that the "Beggars' Sect's members are distributed all around the world" .

The Beggars' Sect was founded in the Han Dynasty and lasted for centuries. It was featured in Wuxia novels such as Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Song Dynasty) and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (Yuan Dynasty).

The Beggars' Sect is divided into two sections, namely the "dirty clothing" section (污衣派) and the "clean clothing" section (净衣派). The former is dominated by beggars while the latter is dominated by non-beggars. It has many headquarters (分舵) spread throughout the nation and each of them is headed by a quarter-master (舵主). Each member carries at least a pouch-like "bag" (袋子) and the number he/she carries indicates his/her rank in the sect, in increasing order. The highest rank a member can attain is the rank of an elder (长老), which is directly below the Chief. Elders carry 9 "bags" each.

The sect is headed by the chief (帮主), who represents the highest authority within the sect. Each chief is selected from a pool of nominees based on his/her martial arts abilities, contributions and achievements to the sect, morality, leadership ability and most importantly, popularity. The chief carries the highly-revered Dog-Beating Staff (打狗棒) to symbolise his authority and position as chief. The sect also has some weird customs, such as the one which allows all members to spit on the chief after he assumes his position as chief as a mark of respect.

The Four Great Elders serve as the chief's deputies and reserve with the right to remove the chief from power if he fails in his duties. Besides, there are also elders with designated duties, such as Discipline Affairs Elder (执法长老), who enforces law and order within the Sect and Training Elder (传功长老), who oversees the martial arts training of members.

The sect holds monthly meetings to discuss their plans in the Jianghu at different locations every meeting.