In a small town in what is now Pudong, Shanghai, there once stood a house facing a bridge with an unusual name — “Swindler’s Bridge.”
People passing through often stopped and wondered how such a name came to be. It wasn’t the kind of title given lightly, and the story behind it was not easily forgotten.
The account was recorded by Qing Dynasty scholar Cheng Lin in Words of an Insider, a collection of anecdotes and social observations that captured the character — and sometimes the darker side — of everyday life.
A strange name with a story behind it
The unusual name was no accident — it reflected the character of the man who lived there.
Although he came from a reasonably comfortable background, he was known locally for his cunning ways. Rather than relying on honest work, he spent his time devising schemes, always looking for opportunities to take advantage of others.
A carefully staged deception
One day, while traveling in Wumen — an old name for present-day Suzhou — the man noticed an elderly beggar woman in the marketplace. She was frail, poorly dressed, and clearly suffering from hunger and cold.
He had his attendants bring her back to his boat, where she was bathed, dressed in fine clothing, and given a hearty meal. Overwhelmed by the sudden kindness, she thanked him repeatedly.
But the generosity came with a hidden purpose.
He told her that the next day they would take her ashore for a walk and gave her a simple instruction: no matter what anyone asked, she was to reply only with the word “fine” — and say nothing more. The woman agreed without hesitation.
The following day, dressed in elegant clothing, the man and his attendants escorted her into town. They walked confidently into the largest silk shop, carrying themselves like members of a wealthy household.
The shop assistant, judging by their appearance, welcomed them warmly.
Throughout the visit, the attendants addressed the old woman as “Madam.” Each time they selected a bolt of silk, they presented it to her for approval. Just as instructed, she responded with a single word: “fine.”
By the end of the selection, the total came to more than a thousand taels of silver — a fortune that could support an ordinary family for many years.
A scheme revealed too late
The man then instructed his attendants to carry the silk back to the boat. Turning to the shop assistant, he explained that he would step out to retrieve the payment, leaving the “Madam” behind as assurance.
Trusting what he saw, the assistant agreed.
But once the man returned to the boat, he ordered it to depart immediately. Within moments, they had vanished without a trace.
Back at the shop, the assistant waited. When no one returned, he questioned the old woman. At first, she continued to answer only “fine.” Only after repeated questioning did she finally explain what had happened.
By then, it was far too late.
Despite searching in all directions, the shop was unable to recover either the goods or the man responsible.
The cost of one man’s deceit
The burden of the loss fell entirely on the assistant, who was held financially responsible and soon lost his position.
The shock and anger weighed heavily on him. With no way to recover what he had lost, he became increasingly unstable, eventually wandering from place to place in search of the man who had ruined him.
A punishment that could not be hidden in the form of ‘Swindler’s Bridge’
Some time later, the former assistant arrived in a town in Pudong. There, by chance, he spotted the very man he had been searching for.
He seized him immediately and, before a gathering crowd, recounted how he had been deceived out of silk worth a small fortune.
The townspeople were not surprised. The man’s reputation for dishonesty was already well known, and they openly condemned him. Faced with public outrage, he had no defense.
At first, he offered to repay the money. But the former assistant refused, threatening to take the matter to the authorities.
Fearing the consequences, the man begged the crowd to help mediate. After much discussion, a settlement was reached.
He would repay the full amount — and, as an additional penalty, he would fund the construction of a bridge directly in front of his home. The bridge would bear a name that reflected his actions for all to see.
It would be called “Swindler’s Bridge.”
Only then did the former assistant agree to let the matter rest.
Translated by Patty Zhang
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