Pretending to be MAD

There was once a teacher and herbalist in Sibu who acted as a mad man to escape inprisonment by the Japanese which occupied Sarawak during the World War 2. This man was none other than our respected Teacher Hii King Lien of 24 Acres. He was a real hero to the Foochows of Sibu.

His method fired the imagination of both young and old. Many people admired his courage to go against the Japanese and at the same time was wise enough to save his own life.

In fact his idea was not entirely new. Perhaps as a scholar he learned from Chinese history.

The Story of Sun Bin

Pang Juan framed Sun Bin for treason and reported him to King Hui of Wei, who ordered Sun Bin to be executed. Pang pretended to plead for mercy on Sun's behalf, and the king instead condemned Sun to face-tattooing and removal of the kneecaps, effectively branding Sun as a criminal and crippling him for life. Pang pretended to take pity on Sun and treated him well while trying to trick Sun into compiling his knowledge on military strategy into a book, after which Pang could kill him. Sun Bin eventually realized Pang's true intentions and feigned madness. Pang attempted to test whether Sun had really become insane or not, so he had Sun locked up in a pigsty. Sun appeared to enjoy himself there and even consumed animal faeces, calling them delicious. Pang believed that Sun was truly mad and lowered his guard. Sun Bin later escaped from the Wei state with the help of diplomats from the Qi state.