Early life

Bao Zheng was born into a scholar family in Shenxian (慎县), Hefei, Luzhou (present day Feidong County near Hefei, Anhui). Bao's family was in the middle class, his father Bao Lingyi (包令仪) was a scholar and an official, while his grandfather Bao Shi Tong (包士通) was a commoner. Though Bao's parents could afford to send him to school, his mother had to climb up mountains to collect firewood just before she gave birth to him. As Bao grew up among low working class, he well understood people's hardships, hated corruption and strongly desired for justice.

At the age of 29, Bao passed the highest-level imperial examination and became qualified as a Jinshi. Bao was appointed as magistrate of Jianchang County, but he deferred embarking on his official career for a decade in order to care for his elderly parents and faithfully observe proper mourning rites after their deaths.

During the time Bao looked after his parents at home, Liu Yun (刘赟), Magistrate of Luzhou who was renowned as an excellent poetic and fair-minded officer, usually visited Bao. Because the two got along well, Bao obtained great influence from Liu Yun in respect of the love for people.

As magistrate of Tianchang

After the passing of his parents, Bao Zheng, then 39, was appointed magistrate of Tianchang County not far from his hometown. It was here that Bao first established his reputation as an astute judge. According to an anecdote, a man once reported that his ox's tongue had been sliced out. Bao told him to return and slaughter the ox for sale. Soon another man arrived in court and accused the first man of privately slaughtering a "beast of burden", an offense punishable by a year of penal servitude. Bao bellowed: "Why did you cut his ox's tongue and then accuse him?" In shock, the culprit had to confess.

As prefect of Duanzhou

In 1040, Bao Zheng was promoted to the prefect of Duanzhou (modern Zhaoqing) in the south, a prefecture famous for its high-quality inkstones, a certain number of which were presented annually to the imperial court. However, Bao discovered that previous prefects had collected far more inkstones from manufacturers than the required tribute—several dozens of times more—in order to bribe influential ministers with the extras. Bao abolished the practice by telling manufacturers to fill only the required quota.

When his tenure was up in 1043, Bao left without a single inkstone in his possession. It was in Duanzhou that he wrote this poem:

As investigating censor

Bao Zheng returned to the capital and was named an investigating censor in 1044. For the next two years in this position, Bao submitted at least 13 memoranda to Emperor Renzong of Song on military, taxation, the examination system, and governmental dishonesty and incompetence.

In 1045, Bao was sent to the Liao dynasty as a messenger. During an audience, a Liao official accused the Song of violating the peace by installing a secret side door in the border prefecture of Xiongzhou, so as to solicit defectors from Liao for intelligence. Bao retorted: "Why is a side door required for intelligence?" The Liao subject could not respond.

In the following years, Bao held the following positions:

• Fiscal commissioner of Hebei

• Vice Director of Ministry of Justice

• Auxiliary in the Academy of Scholarly Worthies (直集賢院)

• Vice Commissioner of Ministry of Revenue

Impeaching Zhang Yaozuo

Emperor Renzong's favourite consort had been Concubine Zhang, whom he had wanted to make empress but could not because of opposition by his (unknown to him, fake) mother, Empress Dowager Liu. Nevertheless, the concubine's uncle Zhang Yaozuo (張堯佐) was quickly promoted within a few years from minor local posts to high office, including the state finance commissioner (三司使). On July 12, 1050, Bao and two other censors together presented a memorandum, which in strong language accused Zhang of mediocrity and shamelessness, even attributing natural disasters to his appointments. Probably annoyed, Emperor Renzong not only did nothing to Zhang Yaozuo, he awarded Consort Zhang's sister with a title four days later. But Bao did not give up. In another memorandum submitted by himself alone, he wrote:

Partly to appease protests by Bao and others, the emperor relieved Zhang Yaozuo from the state finance commissioner, but instead appointed him a concurrent four-commissioner position: commissioner of palace attendant, military commissioner of Huainan, Qunmu military commissioner-in-chief (群牧製置使), and commissioner of Jingling Palace (景靈宮). In a memorandum dated December 26, Bao voiced his strong protest and wrote:

In the next court meeting to authenticate these posts, there was a heated argument in court led by seven ministers including Bao, which resulted in the removal of commissioner of palace attendant and commissioner of Jingling Palace from Zhang's appointment. A few decades later, Zhu Bian (朱弁, 1085–1144) wrote a humorous account in his Anecdotes from Quwei (曲洧舊聞), which probably contributed to the development of future legends:

During his years in the government service, Bao had thirty high officials demoted or dismissed for corruption, bribery, or dereliction of duty. In addition, as the imperial censor, Bao avoided punishment despite many other contemporary imperial censors having been punished for minor statements.

As prefect of Kaifeng

In 1057, Bao was appointed the magistrate of the capital city of Bian (present day Kaifeng). Bao held the position for a mere period of one year, but he initiated several material administrative reforms, including allowing the citizens to directly lodge complaints with the city administrators, thereby bypassing the city clerks who were believed to be corrupt and in the pay of local powerful families.

Although Bao gained much fame and popularity from his reforms, his service after the tenure as Magistrate of Bian was controversial. For example, when Bao dismissed Zhang Fangping (張方平), who concurrently held three important offices, Bao was appointed to these offices as Zhang's successor. Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修) then filed a rebuke against Bao.

Bao had also been the Minister of Finance. Despite his high rank in the government, Bao led a modest life like a commoner.

Apart from his intolerance of injustice and corruption, Bao was well known for his filial piety and his stern demeanor. In his lifetime, Bao gained the name "Iron-Faced Judge" (鐵面判官) and it was also said among the public that his smile was "rarer than clear waters in the Yellow River".

Due to his fame and the strength of his reputation, Bao's name became synonymous with the idealized "honest and upright official" (清官), and quickly became a popular subject of early vernacular drama and literature. Bao was also associated with the god Yanluo (Yama) and the "Infernal Bureaucracy" of the Eastern Marchmount, on account of his supposed ability to judge affairs in the afterlife as well as he judged them in the realm of the living.

Family

Bao Zheng had two wives, Lady Zhang and Lady Dong. Bao had one son, Bao Yi (包繶), born 1033, and two daughters with Lady Dong. His only son Bao Yi died in 1053 at a relatively young age while being a government officer, two years after his marriage to Lady Cui (崔氏). Bao Yi's son, Bao Wenfu (包文辅), died prematurely at the age of five.

However, when a young maid Lady Sun (媵妾孙氏) in Bao Zheng's family became pregnant, Bao dismissed her back to her hometown. Lady Cui, Bao Yi's wife, knowing that the maid was pregnant with her father-in-law's child, continue to send money and clothing to her home. Upon the birth of Lady Sun's son named Bao Yan (包𫄧) in 1057, Lady Cui secretly brought him to her house to foster him. The following year, she brought him back to his biological father, thus enabling the continuation of Bao's family line. Much to Bao Zheng and his wife rejoiced, and they renamed their new son to Bao Shuo (包綬).

Bao Yi's wife Lady Cui was greatly praised in the official sources for her devotion to the protection of family line. This story was very influential to the formation of the legend that Bao Zheng was raised by his elder sister-in-law, whom he called "sister-in-law mother" (嫂娘).

Death

Bao died in the Capital City of Kaifeng (present day Kaifeng, Henan) in 1062. It was recorded that he left the following warning for his family:

Any of my descendants who commits bribery as an official shall not be allowed back home nor buried in the family burial site. He who shares not my values is not my descendant.

Bao was buried in Daxingji in 1063. His tomb was rebuilt by officials of the Huaixi Road in 1066. Lady Dong died in 1068 and was buried next to him.

Cultural Revolution period

During the Cultural Revolution, the Baogong Temple in Baohe Park of Hefei City was looted, and the Bao Zheng statue was ruined. The Bao Zheng portraits preserved by the generations of his descendants and the Baoshi Genealogy (包氏宗譜) were burned.

The relevant personnel set up a relic rescue effort "Bao Cemetery Clearing and Excavation Leading Group" (包公墓清理發掘領導小組) to excavate and clean up the cemetery. They unearthed Bao Zheng's remains and the two newly discovered tombstones with Chinese engravings in forms of (宋樞密副使贈禮部尚書孝肅包公墓銘) and (宋故永康郡夫人董氏墓誌銘). It was found that the tombstones of Bao Zheng and Lady Dong had been displaced due to destruction. In addition, the tomb of the eldest son and his wife, the tomb of the second son and his wife, and the tomb of the grandson Bao Yongnian (包永年) were also excavated and cleaned up. The excavation group handed back the remains of Bao Zheng and his family to their descendants.

One day in August 1973, the remains of Bao Zheng and his family were carried out in 11 wooden coffin boxes and transported back to Dabaocun (大包村), the hometown of Bao Zheng. However the local commune secretary there would not allow their ancestors' remains to be buried on the grounds, otherwise they would be destroyed immediately.

Bao Zheng's descendants, in fear that the remains of Bao Zheng and his family would be destroyed, with the help of a fellow 34th generation descendant Bao Zunyuan (包遵元), secretly hid them elsewhere without knowing what to do. The remains, consisting of 34 Bao Zheng's bone fragments, would later be sent to Beijing for forensics research before they were returned to the newly reconstructed cemetery.

Reconstructed cemetery

The Bao Gong Cemetery (包公墓园) was reconstructed next to the Bao Gong Temple in Hefei in the forested area of Henan in 1985 and was completed in 1987 to preserve the remains of Bao Zheng and artifacts from the former tombs. As for exact location for the rest of Bao Zheng and his family remains, his descendants kept tight-lipped.

Notable descendants

9th generation: Bao Hui

27th generation: Bao Fang Wu

28th generation:

29th generation: Yue-Kong Pao, ,

30th generation: , , , ,

32nd generation:

33th generation: Bao Huacheng, Bao Huazhang, Bao Huabing, Bao Huajun, Bao Huaxiu, Bao Shengdong, , ,

34th generation: , Bao Wei, Bao Dan, Bao Huifang, Bao Yong, Bao Zunxin

Legend

Literary traditions

Bao Zheng's stories were retold and preserved particularly in the form of performance arts such as Chinese opera and pingshu. Written forms of his legend appeared in the Yuan Dynasty in the form of Qu. Vernacular fiction of Judge Bao was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A common protagonist of gong'an fiction, Judge Bao stories revolve around Bao, a magistrate, investigating and solving criminal cases. When Sherlock Holmes was first translated into Chinese in the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese called Sherlock 「the English Judge Bao.」

In the Yuan Dynasty, many plays (in the forms of qu and zaju) have featured Bao Zheng as the central character. These plays include:

• Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Investigates the Circle of Chalk (包待制智勘灰闌記) by Li Qianfu

• Rescriptor Bao Thrice Investigates the Butterfly Dream (包待制三勘蝴蝶夢) by Guan Hanqing, English translation can be found in Yang & Yang 1958

• Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Executes Court Official Lu (包待制智斬魯齋郎) by Guan Hanqing, English translation can be found in Yang & Yang 1958 (as The Wife-Snatcher)

• Rescriptor Bao Sells Rice at Chenzhou (包待制陳州糶米), English translation can be found in Hayden 1978

• Ding-ding Dong-dong: The Ghost of the Pot (玎玎當當盆兒鬼), English translation can be found in Hayden 1978

• Rescriptor Bao Cleverly Investigates the Flower of the Back Courtyard (包待制智勘後庭花) by Zheng Tingyu, English translation can be found in Hayden 1978

Also discovered from this period include some ballads which had been translated by Wilt L. Idema in 2010.

The 16th-century novel Bao Gong An by An Yushi (安遇時) (partially translated by Leon Comber in 1964) increased his popularity and added a detective element to his legends.

The 19th-century novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants by the storyteller Shi Yukun (石玉昆) (partially translated by Song Shouquan in 1997 as well as Susan Blader in 1997) added a wuxia twist to his stories.

In Pavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers (萬花樓), Five Tigers Conquer the West (五虎平西), Five Tigers Conquer the South (五虎平南) and Five Tigers Conquer the North (五虎平北), four serial wuxia novels composed by Li Yutang (李雨堂) during Qing Dynasty, Bao Zheng, Di Qing and Yang Zongbao appear as main characters.

In What the Master Would Not Discuss (子不語), a Qing Dynasty biji by Yuan Mei (袁枚), Bao Zheng as well as the belief that he was able to judge affairs of both human beings and supernatural beings is featured.

Stories

In opera or drama, he is often portrayed with a black face and a white crescent shaped birthmark on his forehead.

In legends, because he was born dark-skinned and extremely ugly, Bao Zheng was considered cursed and thrown away by his father right after birth. However, his virtuous elder sister-in-law, who just had an infant named Bao Mian (包勉), picked Bao Zheng up and raised him like her own son. As a result, Bao Zheng would refer to Bao Mian's mother as "sister-in-law mother".

In most dramatizations of his stories, he used a set of guillotines (鍘刀, "lever-knife"), given to him by the emperor, to execute criminals:

• The one decorated with a dog's head (狗頭鍘 or 犬頭鍘) was used on commoners.

• The one decorated with a tiger's head (虎頭鍘) was used on government officials.

• The one decorated with a dragon's head (龍頭鍘 or 火龍鍘) was used on royal personages.

He was granted a golden rod (金黄夏楚) by the previous emperor, with which he was authorised to chastise the current emperor. He was also granted an imperial sword (尚方寶劍) from the previous emperor; whenever it was exhibited the persons surrounding, irrespective of their social classes, must pay respect and compliance to the person exhibiting as if he were the emperor. All guillotines of Bao Zheng were authorised to execute any persons without first obtaining approval from the emperor, whilst some accounts stating the imperial sword was a license to execute any royals before so reporting.

He is famous for his uncompromising stance against corruption among the government officials at the time. He upheld justice and refused to yield to higher powers including the Emperor's Father-in-Law (國丈), who was also appointed as the Grand Tutor (太師) and was known as Grand Tutor Pang (龐太師). He treated Bao as an enemy. Although Grand Tutor Pang is often depicted in myth as an archetypical villain (arrogant, selfish, and cruel), the historical reasons for his bitter rivalry with Bao remain unclear.

Bao Zheng also managed to remain in favour by cultivating a long-standing friendship with one of Emperor Renzong's uncles, the Eighth Imperial Prince (八王爺) and Prime Minister Wang Yanling (王延齡).

In many stories Bao is usually accompanied by his skilled bodyguard Zhan Zhao (展昭) and personal secretary Gongsun Ce (公孙策). Zhan is a skilled martial artist while Gongsun is an intelligent adviser. When Sherlock Holmes was first translated into Chinese - Watson was compared to Gongsun Ce. There are also four enforcers named Wang Chao (王朝), Ma Han (馬漢), Zhang Long (張龍), and Zhao Hu (趙虎). All of these characters are presented as righteous and incorruptible.

Due to his strong sense of justice, he is very popular in China, especially among the peasants and the poor. He became the subject of literature and modern Chinese TV series in which his adventures and cases are featured.

Famous cases

All of these cases have been favorites in Chinese opera.

• The Case of Executing Chen Shimei (鍘美案): Chen Shimei had two children with wife Qin Xianglian, when he left them behind in his hometown for the Imperial examination in the capital. After placing first, he lied about his marriage and became the emperor's new brother-in-law. Years later, a famine forced Qin and her children to move to the capital, where they learned what happened to Chen. Qin finally found a way to meet Chen and begged him to help at least his own children. Not only did Chen refuse, he sent his servant Han Qi to kill them in order to hide his secret, but Han helped the family escape and killed himself. Desperate, Qin brought her case to Bao Zheng, who tricked Chen to the court to have him arrested. The imperial family intervened with threats, but Bao executed him nonetheless.

• Executing Bao Mian (鍘包勉): When Bao Zheng was an infant, he was raised by his elder sister-in-law, Wu, like a son. Years later, Wu's only son Bao Mian became a magistrate, and was convicted of bribery and malfeasance. Finding it impossible to fulfill both Confucian concepts of loyalty and filial piety, an emotional Bao Zheng was about to reluctantly execute his nephew. In the end, the real suspects were forced to confess and Bao Mian's sentence was commuted.

• Civet Cat Exchanged for Crown Prince (狸貓換太子): Bao Zheng met a woman claiming to be the mother of the reigning Emperor Renzong. Dozens of years prior, she had been Consort Li, an imperial concubine of Emperor Zhenzong's, before falling out of favour for supposedly giving birth to a bloody (and dead) civet cat. In reality, the jealous Consort Liu had plotted with eunuch Guo Huai (郭槐) to secretly swap Li's infant with a skinned civet cat minutes after the birth and ordered palace maid Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou gave the baby to chief eunuch Chen Lin (陳琳), who secretly brought the child to the Eighth Prince, a younger brother of Emperor Zhenzong. Kou was later tortured to death by Guo when Consort Liu began to suspect that the infant had survived. The child was raised by the Eighth Prince as his own son and was subsequently selected to succeed Emperor Zhenzong, who had died heirless. Due to the passage of time, gathering evidence was a challenge. With the help of a woman dressed as Kou's ghost, Bao dressed himself as Yama, lord of Hell, to play on both Guo's fear of the supernatural and guilt, thereby extracting his confession. When the verdict was out, the emperor was reluctant to accept Consort Li. Bao then admonished the emperor and ordered that he be beaten for lack of filial piety. The emperor's Dragon Robe was beaten instead. Emperor Renzong eventually accepted his mother and elevated her as the new empress dowager.

• The Case of Two Nails (雙釘記): Bao Zheng investigated a man's suspicious death whose cause had been ruled as natural. After an autopsy, his coroner confirmed the earlier report that there was no injury to the whole body. At home, the coroner discussed the case with his wife, who mentioned that someone could force long steel nails into the brain without injuring the body. The next day, the coroner indeed found a long nail, and the dead man's widow was arrested; she confessed to adultery and mariticide. Afterwards, Bao Zheng began to question the coroner's wife and learned that the coroner is her second husband, as her first husband had died. Bao ordered his guards to go to the cemetery and unearth her first husband's coffin. Sure enough, there was also a nail driven into the skull.

• The Case of the Black Basin (烏盆記): A silk merchant by the name of Liu Shichang was on a trip home when he decided to ask for food and overnight lodging at the place of Zhao Da, the owner of a pottery kiln. Greedy for the riches carried by Liu, Zhao killed him by poisoning his dinner, burying his remains with clay in his kiln to make a black basin in order to destroy the evidence. An old man named Zhang Biegu, whom Zhao owed a debt to, soon took the basin from Zhao in lieu of cash payment. Zhang eventually encountered the Liu's ghost, who had been possessing the basin ever since his murder, and was told the story of the latter's cruel death at Zhao's hands. Determined to bring the suspect to justice, Zhang soon brought the black basin to Bao Zheng's court in Kaifeng and after several attempts, finally persuaded Liu's ghost to tell the judge everything. As a result, Zhao was finally arrested and executed for murder.

Modern references

Linguistic influence

In modern Chinese, "Bao Gong" or "Bao Qingtian" is invoked as a metaphor or symbol of justice. There is a chain of cafes selling baozi in Singapore called Bao Today (Bao Jin Tian), which is a pun on Bao Qingtian (Justice Bao).

In the Thai language, Than Pao (ท่านเปา; "Lord Bao") has become a colloquial term for a judge. The Royal Institute of Thailand recorded the term in the Dictionary of New Words, Volume 2, published in 2009. Furthermore, the word "Pao" is used colloquially by the sports media to mean a referee in a game, especially a football match.

Films

• Redressing a Grievance (乌盆记), a 1927 Chinese silent film featuring Ling Wusi as Bao Zheng.

• The Crimson Palm (血手印), a 1964 Shaw Brothers musical film features Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and is about a scholar who is framed for murder by his fiancée's father.

• Inside the Forbidden City (宋宮秘史), a 1965 Shaw Brothers musical film stars Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and tells the story of the "Wild Cat for Crown Prince conspiracy" case.

• The Mermaid (魚美人), a 1965 Shaw Brothers musical film features Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng, and is a fantasy about a carp spirit who is in love with a human scholar.

• King Cat (七俠五義), a 1967 Shaw Brothers film features Cheng Miu as Bao Zheng.

• The Wrongly Killed Girl (南俠展昭大破地獄門), a 1976 Hong Kong film stars Jen Hao as Bao Zheng and tells the Liu Jinchan murder.

• Cat and Mouse (老鼠愛上貓), a 2003 Media Asia romantic comedy stars Anthony Wong as Bao Zheng.

• Game of a Cat and Mouse (包青天之五鼠鬥御貓), a 2005 film stars Jin Chao-chun as Bao Zheng.

• Hua Gu Di Wang (包青天之化骨帝王), a Mainland China film planned for 2013 release.

Stephen Chow also made a spin-off movie based on Bao Zheng called Hail the Judge and titled Pale Face Bao Zheng Ting in Chinese. In the movie Chow plays a descendant of Bao Zheng called "Bao Sing" living during Qing Dynasty, whose family lost its once glorious prestige due to generations of incompetence and corruption.

Television

Some of the more prominent TV series include:

• Justice Bao (包青天), a 1974–75 series produced by CTSTV totaling 350 episodes. Yi Ming portrayed Bao Zheng.

• Justice Bao (包青天), a 1993–94 series produced by CTSTV with 41 cases totaling 236 episodes produced in one season. This would be the first series where Jin Chao-chun portrayed Bao Zheng.

• Young Justice Bao (侠义包公), a 1994 series produced by SBC (now Mediacorp) and starring Chew Chor Meng as young Bao Zheng.

• Justice Bao (包青天), a 1995 series produced by TVB and starring Ti Lung as Bao Zheng, with 16 cases totaling 80 episodes.

• Justice Bao (新包青天), a 1995–1996 series produced by ATV and starring Jin Chao-chun as Bao Zheng, with 25 cases totaling 160 episodes.

• Young Justice Bao (少年包青天), a 2000 Mainland Chinese series starring Zhou Jie as Young Bao Zheng, with 40 episodes divided into seven cases. This series is heavily inspired by mainstream crime fiction such as Sherlock Holmes and Detective Conan

• Justice Bao (包青天), a 2008 Mainland Chinese series starring Jin Chao-chun as Bao Zheng, with five cases totaling 61 episodes.

• Justice Bao (包青天), a 2010 Mainland Chinese series starring Jin Chao-chun as Bao Zheng. The first season airing in 2010, three seasons totaling 120 episodes have been shown as of 2012.

• Justice Bao: The First Year (包青天再起風雲), a 2019 series produced by TVB and starring Shaun Tam as young Bao Zheng, totaling 30 episodes. His father Ti Lung played the titular role 24 years earlier.

Novels

Bao Zheng briefly appears in the novel Iron Arm, Golden Sabre and sponsors young Zhou Tong's entry into the military as an officer.

In March 2012, Frederic Lenormand, author of 18 Judge Dee's New Cases (Fayard 2004–2011), published at Editions Philippe Picquier Un Thé chez Confucius (A Tea with Confucius), first novel of his new series, The Judge Bao Cases.

Video games

An unlicensed Nintendo side-scrolling/platform game for Famicom, entitled Bāo Qīngtián (包青天), also known as Justice Pao, was made in Taiwan by ex-Sachen developers and published by Ka Sheng in 1996.

Comics and manga

In the Marvel comic series New Universal, Young Judge Bao is one of the characters in an in-universe comic book.

"Les éditions Fei" also publishes a series of French-language comics about Bao Zheng. As of August 2010, two volumes have been printed.

A 16-volume Japanese manga series Hokusō Fūunden (北宋風雲伝), partly adapting the 1993 TV series, was serialized in the magazine Princess GOLD, published by Akita Shoten, from May 2000 to May 2008.

別名

包拯曾任天章閣待制，人稱「包待制」；後進為龍圖閣直學士，故後人亦稱「包龍圖」。此外，其形象傳說為黑面，故此亦被稱為「包黑子」、「包黑炭」。

生平

出生

宋真宗咸平二年二月十五日（999年3月5日），包拯出生于廬州合肥(今安徽省合肥市)。

仕途

宋仁宗天聖五年（1027年）中丁卯科進士，授大理評事（從八品下），知建昌縣；以父母年老，沒有赴任。又監和州稅收，其父母不想讓他離開，于是一直在家鄉侍奉父母。幾年之後，他的父母親相繼去世，包拯在雙親的墓旁築起草廬，直到守喪期滿。調知天長縣。任滿後，調任端州（廣東肇慶）知州。回京任監察御史里行，又改監察御史，為「言事官」（對處事不當、行事不法的官僚，都可以進行彈劾）。為懲治貪官，宋仁宗慶曆四年（1044年），他向宋仁宗上書《乞不用贓吏》，認為清廉是人們的表率，而貪贓則是「民賊」。包拯七次上書彈奏江西轉運使王逵，揭露他「心同蛇蠍」、殘害百姓，並嚴厲批評宋廷的任官制度。宋仁宗皇祐二年（1050年）至三年間，包拯知諫院，三次彈劾皇室外戚張堯佐，稱其「真清朝之穢污，白晝之魑魅」，又審清妖人冷青冒充皇子案，震動朝野。

宋仁宗嘉祐二年12月（1057年1月），包拯以龍圖閣直學士權知開封府，至嘉祐三年六月離任，前後只有一年有餘。但在這短短的時間內，把號稱難治的京城開封府，治理得井井有條。敢於懲治權貴的不法行為，堅決抑制開封府吏的驕橫之勢，並能夠及時懲辦誣賴刁民。包拯公正廉明、明察秋毫、鐵面無私、斷案如神，因此受人敬仰。

宋仁宗嘉祐六年（1061年），他進入「二府」成為北宋最高決策機關成員（從二品樞密副使）後，衣著飲食和器具依然「如布衣時」，是古代中國清官的典型代表，民間諺語有云：「關節不到，有閻羅包老。」包拯為人嚴正，殊少笑容，時人以「黃河清」比喻包拯之笑。曾與包拯同朝為官的歐陽修、司馬光，乃至後世如朱熹、劉敞等，對包拯皆有正面評價。

逝世及身後

嘉祐七年五月二十四日（1062年7月3日），包拯病逝於開封府，享壽六十三歲。宋仁宗加封包公為東海郡開國侯，贈官禮部尚書，還根據包公「少有孝行，聞於鄉里；晚有直節，著於朝廷。」追諡其為孝肅，妻子董氏把包拯生前奏議底稿交付至門生張田輯錄成《孝肅包公奏議》（即《包拯集》）傳世，次年歸葬合肥，墓誌銘由同為樞密副使的騎都尉、濮陽縣開國子吳奎撰寫、朝奉郎、上騎都尉楊南仲書寫以及甥將仕郎、守溫州里安縣令文勳篆蓋（現存安徽省博物館）。

家族與遺跡

包拯父包令儀為太平興國八年進士，官至刑部侍郎。祖父包士通是平民。據出土於1973年包公墓的包公墓銘記載：包拯先後有三妻，分別為張氏、董氏和媵孫氏（媵指隨嫁之侍婢，或可指妾侍）。妻子董氏於宋神宗趙頊熙寧元年（1068年）病逝於合肥，與包拯合葬。

包拯與董氏生有一子包繶，但他婚後兩年染病身亡，其子（即包拯孫子）包文輔於五歲時夭折，長媳崔氏則於宋哲宗紹聖元年（1094年）過世，享年62歲。

包拯將媵妾孫氏遣送回家，但其實孫氏已經身懷六甲，媳婦崔氏得悉後妥為照顧。1058年孫氏為包拯生下一子，家族香火得以承傳，拯替他取名包綖，崔氏幫他改名為包綬。包綬成過兩次親，第一次是娶包公門生、做過廬州知州的張田的女兒，張氏早包綬而死；第二任妻子是宰相文彥博的小女兒，出身相門的文氏，並不是一位雍容華貴的嬌小姐，她恬靜寡慾，生活儉樸，待人和善，從不以勢自居，見他人有難，還樂於慷慨接濟。她經常吃素，與丈夫包綬一同篤信道教，視富貴如糞土，在北宋百餘年的太平時代下，包綬夫妻二人嚴守父命，看重節操。文氏早包綬四年去世，於宋徽宗趙佶建中靖國元年病故，享年僅三十多歲；包公另有兩女。

文化大革命的破壞

包公病歿後一年（1063年）歸葬於今日合肥市東郊大興集，該墓曾於1199年由淮西路官員重修。中華人民共和國成立後，毛澤東發動文化大革命批臭清官的謬論風潮盛起，清官被視為「比貪官更壞」，「具更大欺騙性」，「鞏固封建主義」的批鬥對象，故而清官形象代表人物包公成為眾矢之的，遺址文物受到嚴重的破壞，合肥市包河公園中的包公祠被洗劫一空，包公塑像被粉身碎骨，包公後裔世代相傳保存下來的包公畫像和《包氏宗譜》付之一炬。

1973年3月時包公墓及包氏宗族墓群因當時合肥市革命委員會冶金建設指揮部以徵用工廠的建設用地的理由被強行「遷墳」，而在無法阻止的情況下，相關人員為搶救文物成立一個「包公墓清理發掘領導小組」進行包公墓的挖掘與清理，發掘出包公遺骨及新發現的兩塊墓銘石《宋樞密副使贈禮部尚書孝肅包公墓銘》、《宋故永康郡夫人董氏墓誌銘》，並發現包公墓實為包公和董氏（第二任妻子）合葬墓，而且曾因受破壞而遷移，另外也挖掘與清理了長子包紹夫婦墓、次子包綬夫婦墓、孫子包永年墓。

但之後包公及其家人的遺骨因族人害怕文革迫害（例如：當時當地的公社書記以「搞封建宗教活動，大包村的土地不能讓封建社會的孝子賢孫給抹黑」為由不允許包公的遺骨下葬，否則立即銷毀），另行偷偷安葬而不知所終，僅留下曾送往北京進行鑑證的34塊包公遺骨，現存於新建的包公墓園。

而另一相關古跡「包公井」原址亦搶救未果，於1986年成為合肥市第四中學（合肥四中）的一幢五層樓宿舍。1985年重建包公墓園於合肥市內包河南畔林區內，保留了舊墓群的包公遺骨及文物，1987年落成，與包公祠緊緊相連。

後世子孫

• 8世孫：包遜

• 9世孫：包恢

• 27世孫：包方務

• 28世孫：包兆龍

• 29世孫：包玉剛、包玉書、包德明

• 30世孫：包陪慶

• 32世孫：包振銘

• 33世孫：包華成、包華章、包華兵、包華軍、包華秀、包勝東、包大銘、包偉銘、包小松、包小柏

• 34世孫：包庭政、包璽、包丹、包慧芳、包勇、包遵元、包遵信

評價

包拯在當朝以清正剛直著稱，直到後世仍然被後人所尊敬。

• 朱熹稱包公：「復為京尹，令行禁止，立朝剛毅。」

• 歐陽修稱包公：「清節美行，著自貧賤，讜言正論，聞於朝廷。」

• 劉敞稱包公：「識清氣勁，直而不撓；凜乎有歲寒之操。」

• 奉旨編集《資治通鑑》的司馬光也稱讚包公：「仁宋時，包拯最名正直。」

• 《宋史》：「公性峭直，惡吏苛刻，務敦厚，雖其嫉忠，而未嘗不推以忠恕也。與人不苟合，不為辭色悅人，平居無私書，故人、親黨皆絕之。雖貴，衣服、器用、飲食如布衣時。」

• 胡適說包公「是一個箭垛式的人物」，民間的傳說將各式各樣的斷案故事都射到他身上。胡適在《三俠五義·序》說《宋史》只記包拯「 割牛舌」 一案圖。

正史中的包拯雖然清直，但是以敦厚著稱。後世傳說，包拯審案時，好用酷刑，這可能是與他的九世孫包恢的事蹟混淆所致。

傳說形象

四大小說之一的《水滸傳》曾指出包公是文曲星的轉世，他與狄青和一文一武開創了北宋的全盛時期。

古代小說《七俠五義》以包公為主人公。相傳為文曲星轉世，因其大公無私，擁有一副鐵面如墨的臉孔以鎮懾佞臣，額上掛有一彎蒼白明月，故有「包黑子」稱號。但是在歷史中，他的皮膚並不黑，只是為了塑造鐵面無私的形象，劇中才把它的臉變黑，到了現在許多人反而認為他原本就是黑臉。

民間傳說包公任開封府尹期間，得到「四大名捕」（王朝、馬漢、張龍、趙虎）與有足智多謀的公孫策和「御貓」之稱的御前四品帶刀護衛之南俠展昭為左右文武助手，辦案既明查又暗訪，執法既嚴謹又不失人情。在皇室，有八賢王趙德芳撐腰；在朝廷，有丞相王齡為其後盾，並擁有太祖（趙匡胤）御賜尚方寶劍，有「先斬後奏」之權，連當朝皇帝宋仁宗趙禎都得畏他三分，因此不論皇家貴族、朝野官宦，乃至平民百姓、販夫走卒，均使正義得以伸張，真正落實「太子犯法與庶民同罪」。

開封府大堂，有常設三口鍘刀：龍頭鍘（火龍鍘）專鍘無道謀逆之皇親國戚，虎頭鍘專鍘文武貪濁污惡之百官，而狗頭鍘（犬頭鍘）專鍘窮凶極惡之平民百姓，三口鍘刀亦有先斬後奏之權。傳頌的案件包括《鍘美案（鍘駙馬）》、《狸貓換太子（打龍袍）》、《鍘龐昱》、《烏盆案》、《鍘包勉》、《鍘判官》、《陳州糶米》等。故事中百姓向包公申冤的方法有：攔路喊冤（趁包公坐轎出巡時攔路向包公申冤）、擊鼓鳴冤（傳說開封府公堂門前有一鼓，任何人擊鼓後，包公便會升堂聆聽喊冤者的冤情）。

傳說包拯審案不分晝夜：夜審陰，日審陽，亦即其晚上靈魂出竅，到陰司審判鬼魂，所以民間流傳的包拯肖像，都在額上畫一枚弦月。華南地區有傳說謂包拯死後被封為十殿閻羅中的五殿森羅王。

軼聞

北宋民間筆記《聞見前錄》有孤證紀載，考獲進士的章惇寄居在長輩家中候任期間，與長輩之妾私通而被撞破，翻牆而出時踩傷一名老婦，而被捉往告狀。包拯見章惇為新科進士，憐惜他寒窗苦讀多年，就無定其罪，只著章惇賠償老婦私了。只問踩人案，不問通姦案。根據宋律，私通長輩妻妾至少定罪兩年徒刑。另記，有位深得包拯任用的下屬王尚恭在開封府下轄武陽縣擔任知縣。一次數名百姓上訪，控訴王尚恭徇私害民，請求包拯作主。包拯得知為狀告者為王尚恭後，不知怎麼最後判斷認為告訴者無理，就派人將百姓驅逐，內情無人知亦無其他史料記載，只有該書孤證。。

包公廟宇

在中國大陸安徽省合肥市包公祠旁的包公墓，於1987年10月1日重修對外開放；開封包公祠則是國內外規模最大、資料最全、影響最廣的專門紀念包公的場所。其餘地區亦有大小不等的包公廟，如廣東省肇慶市端州區的包公祠、澳門鏡湖醫院附近的包公廟、湖南省郴州市宜章慄源鎮的包公廟等，香港一部份的廟宇以及圍村的神廳內亦有祀奉包公，如大角咀洪聖廟、上環文武廟及灣仔玉虛宮、深水埗三太子及北帝廟。

臺灣的包公祖廟為雲林縣四湖鄉三條崙海清宮；其他較著名的包公廟有臺灣南投縣埔里鎮「青天堂」、南投縣竹山鎮「包青宮」、高雄市大寮區「開封宮」、臺南市「南沙宮」及苗慄縣苑裡鎮「包公壇」及台中市沙鹿區「天閻太子會」……等。菲律賓有位于馬尼拉計順市的南洋天地宮，馬來西亞供奉包拯的寺廟有「開封府」坐落於雪蘭莪州西部的巴生市及柔佛州(東甲縣) 包龍堂，新加坡兩座比較有規模的包公廟分別為新加坡天聖壇與新加坡包公廟。

流行文化

注釋