Drum ballad texts (guci) evoke one of the most popular of performance genres, the drum ballad, in north China in the late Qing and Republican period (1800-1937). These texts not only drew on oral literature but also served as vehicles for the dissemination of popular stories throughout north China. Many drum ballad texts recount stories of incorruptible judges who help the powerless gain justice. Drum ballads reached audiences ranging from the nobility to men and women of low social status. Study of this body of narratives opens up new perspectives on Chinese culture by examining the attitudes toward justice in these widely-read texts. Precisely because they are a kind of popular literature, drum ballads provide an interesting complement to historians' usual sources for the study of Chinese legal culture. Studies of legal history have revealed much about non-elite practices in the Qing. By mining case records, scholars like Matthew Sommer and Thomas Buoye observed striking differences between prescription and practice among lower socioeconomic groups.1 Still, these case records were written by officials for officials, and thus reflect their interpretation. Drum ballads have received little scholarly attention but provide another perspective, because the ballads' ties to the oral tradition and easy-to-read rhymed format meant they could be read by less educated audiences.2 The legend of a wise judge inspired by the historical official Liu Yong (1719-1805) provides fertile ground to explore ideals of justice in popular culture. Drum ballads on Judge Liu3 generated at least nineteen woodblock editions in

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