Bi Gan is an important loyal minister of the Shang in Investiture of the Gods and an uncle of King Zhou. He is remembered for integrity and for repeatedly remonstrating with the ruler as the political order of the dynasty deteriorates.
After Daji and other dangerous influences enter the palace, the court falls deeper into disorder. Bi Gan continues attempting to restrain King Zhou and becomes increasingly suspicious of the unnatural forces surrounding the royal household.
Daji eventually engineers Bi Gan’s destruction. King Zhou demands that he cut out his heart in order to reveal the legendary “seven-aperture exquisite heart.” Bi Gan is forced to remove his heart and ultimately dies.
Bi Gan is not primarily a martial character, but he is one of the most important symbols of the internal political collapse of the Shang in the novel. Through him, the narrative connects King Zhou, Daji, and the moral disintegration that precedes the fall of the dynasty.