Sherlock Holmes is probably the best-known detective in the world. But do you know that there is a Chinese detective who has similar skills？

He is Detective Dee-Di Renjie. Di Renjie appears as the main character in a number of crime novels and films. In these novels and films，Detective Dee solved many cases. “The first rule of sleuthing（探案）is that you need a good memory. The second is that you need to closely watch people's speech and facial（面部）expressions，”explained Detective Dee in a movie.

Although there are always made-up stories in movies and novels，detective Dee was a real person in history. This is unlike Holmes，who was created by the UK writer Arthur Conar Doyle. Di Renjie（AD 630-700）was a prime minister（宰相）under the empress（皇帝）Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty（AD618-907）.

While Bao Zheng of the Song Dynasty（AD420-479） is a symbol of righteousness（正直），Di Renjie is known for his wisdom. In some films，Dee is also a kung fu master who is good at fighting.

In history，however，Di was more of a judge（法官）than a detective. It was said that while working as the head of the supreme court（大理寺），he was a great judge. During that time，he judged 17，000 cases in a year and not a single person complained.