The protagonist of ''gong'an'' novels is typically a traditional judge or similar official based on historical characters such as Judge Bao (
Bao Qingtian) or Judge Dee (
Di Renjie). Although the historical characters may have lived in an earlier period (such as the
Song or
Tang dynasty) most stories are written in the latter
Ming or
Qing period. Gong'an novels are characterized by a number of distinct plot elements from other subgenres. The "detective" is the local magistrate who is usually involved in several unrelated cases simultaneously, while the criminal is introduced at the very start of the story and his crime and reasons are carefully explained, thus constituting an
inverted detective story rather than a "puzzle". ''Gong'an'' stories often have a supernatural element with ghosts contacting the living or even accusing the criminal. The plot can digress into philosophy or a series of official documents. The story may feature a large cast of characters, typically in the hundreds.
Themes The Gong'an fiction is a collection of seemingly unrelated short stories, however, they are connected based on their common tropes or crime-related conventions. These stories are usually represented by iconic figures, clothing, and characters. For example: officials,
yamen underling, and commoners all wear unique clothing. The depiction of these stories are typically presented to an audience, The stories are generally told by the working
magistrate, and involve a number of interrelated crimes occurring early in the story. Although, the stories have a common theme of social justice through punishment; the crimes are generally not didactic. In other words, they are crimes committed against other individuals (murder and rape are common examples) rather than society. The crimes are specific breaches in the law, and punishments are generally also pre-prescribed by law. Although the magistrate may have some supernatural knowledge aiding him in solving the case, he must always establish the facts of the case and prove the criminal guilty.
Style Gong'an fiction is very frequently accompanied by illustrations, such as Van Gulik's personal illustration to his
Judge Dee novels. A re-occurring theme is the imitation of pictures. This repetition ensures readers have a common understanding of what each illustration represents. This convention holds for pre-Ming full-page illustrations as well as shangtu xiawen illustrations. Thus many early sutras feature the
Buddha seated on a lotus flower, facing three-quarters left, expounding doctrine or, more likely, the text of the accompanying sutra, while his disciples sit facing him, often with their backs to the reader. Likewise, if the illustration depicts action (many of them have a strong narrative element), the action tends to move from right to left. This is clearly seen in one of
Zheng Zhenduo's illustrations, wherein the act of butchering animals is dramatically shown to lead straight to the gates of hell at left by means of a cloud-like cartouche. == Genre distinctions ==