Oath of the Peach Garden
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The Oath of the Peach Garden (桃園三結義) was an oath in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by which the three warriors Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei became sworn brothers in a ceremony amid peach blossom trees. The original goal of the Peach Garden Oath was to protect the Han Dynasty from the Yellow Turbans. This act bound the three key men of the future Shu-Han Kingdom of China and is often alluded to as a symbol of fraternal loyalty. Nothing in historical records suggest such an event happened, though the three were noted to be close, to the point of sharing the same bed. However Liu Bei died trying to avange Guan Yu because he was 'his sworn brother'
The oath, as it appears in Moss Roberts' translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was this:
"We three, though of separate ancestry, join in brotherhood here, combining strength and purpose, to relieve the present crisis. We will perform our duty to the Emperor and protect the common folk of the land. We dare not hope to be together always but hereby vow to die the selfsame day. Let shining heaven above and the fruitful land below bear witness to our resolve. May heaven and man scourge whosoever fails this vow."
In many other translations, only the section dealing with "dying on the selfsame day" is present. However, the three brothers do not die at the same day: Guan Yu is executed by Sun Quan, Zhang Fei is assassinated by his own men, and Liu Bei attempts to avenge Guan Yu with disastrous results.
The oath inspired the present day secret societies in Chinese communities, such as the Triad, to use a similar ritual when swearing in new members. "Though not born on the same day of the same month in the same year, we hope to die so" — the phrase the three brothers made during the oath — had also become popular among the present day secret society members.
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