| The Lacquer Screen | |
| Author: | Robert van Gulik |
| Genre: | Gong'an fiction, Mystery novel, Detective fiction, Chinese crime fiction |
| Publisher: | Art Printing Works, Kuala Lumpur |
| Release Date: | 1962 |
| Media Type: | |
| Preceded By: | The Red Pavilion |
| Followed By: | The Emperor's Pearl |
The Lacquer Screen is a gong'an detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (the early decades of the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630 - 700 AD.
The book features fourteen illustrations by the author.
In 663, Judge Dee is the young magistrate in the fictional Chinese town of Peng-lai. On a visit to a senior magistrate Teng in Wei-ping, he is shown a beautiful lacquer screen which is mysteriously altered to show a murder scene instead of a love scene. With the senior magistrate Teng convinced he is going insane, a wealthy banker in town appears to kill himself, though it might be murder. Judge Dee and his servant Chiao Tai disguise themselves to go undercover and join a gang of robbers to solve the case.[1]
The town of Peng-lai was the setting for other Judge Dee stories including: The Chinese Gold Murders, and three of the short stories from Judge Dee at Work.[2]