Jinyong
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| Names | ||
|---|---|---|
| Given name | Pen name | |
| Trad. | 查良鏞 | 金庸 |
| Simp. | 查良镛 | 金庸 |
| Pinyin | Zhā Liángyōng | Jīnyōng |
| Cantonese Romanization | Chàh Lèuhng-yùhng | Kām-yùhng |
| Thai | กิมย้ง | |
| Vietnamese | Tra Lương Dung | Kim Dung |
| Korean | Sa Ryang Yong | Kim Yong |
| pen name created by splitting last character of given name | ||
Louis Cha (born June 6, 1924), known to most by his penname Jinyong, Kam-yung (Cantonese), is one of the most influential Chinese-language novelists.
He is widely regarded as the finest Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") writer, a reputation based on some fifteen wuxia novels and short stories he wrote between 1955 and 1972, and has a widespread, unchallenged, almost religious following in all Chinese-speaking areas, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. His works have been translated into Korean, English, Japanese, French, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai and he has many fans abroad as well, thanks to the numerous adaptations of his works made into films and television serials.
Asteroid 10930 Jinyong (1998 CR2) is named after him.
| Contents |
Biography
A native of Haining county, Zhejiang province, mainland China, Cha was the second of seven children, coming from an illustrious family of scholars; his grandfather was a jinshi. Cha was an avid reader of literature since young, especially of wuxia fiction. He first studied at Zhejiang Province Jiaxing High School, then was admitted to the Faculty of Foreign Languages in Chunking Central University and transferred to the Faculty of Law of Dongwu University to major in International Law.
In 1947, Cha entered Shanghai's newspaper Ta Kung Pao (大公報) as a journalist. One year later, he was posted to the Hong Kong division as a copyeditor. When Cha was transferred to Hsin Wan Pao (新晚報) as Deputy Editor, he met Chen Wentong, who in 1953 wrote his first wuxia novel under the pseudonym Liang Yusheng (梁羽生). Chen and Cha became good friends, and it was under the former's influence that Cha began work on his first serialized martial arts novel, The Romance of the Book and Sword, in 1955. In 1957, while working on wuxia serializations, he also worked as a scenarist-director and scriptwriter at the Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd and Phoenix Film Company.
In 1959, together with fellow high school mate Sham Po Sun (沈寶新), Cha founded the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. Cha served as its Editor-in-Chief for years, writing both serialized novels and editorials. His editorials were well respected, and Ming Pao gained a reputation as one of Hong Kong's most highly rated press. Cha wrote his last wuxia novel in 1972, after which he officially retired from writing, instead spending the remaining years of that decade editing and revising his literary works. The first complete definitive edition of his works appear in 1979.
By then, Cha's martial arts novels have earned great popularity in Chinese-speaking areas. All of his novels has since then been adapted into films, TV series and radio series, in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China, and important characters in his novels are so well-known to the public that they can be alluded to with ease between all three regions.
In later years in the late 1970s, Cha began to be involved in Hong Kong politics. He was one of the writers who drafted the Hong Kong Basic Law, although he resigned in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square massacre in protest.
In 1993, Cha prepared himself to retire from editorial work, selling all his shares in Ming Pao. Together with the royalties from his works, Cha's personal wealth is estimated at some HK$600 million, and his books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide (over 1 billion if one includes pirated copies).
Decorations and Conferments
Cha has also written many nonfiction work on the history of China. For his achievements, he was made honorary professor by Peking University (in Beijing), Zhejiang University, Nankai University, Soochow University, Huaqiao University, National Tsing Hua University, Hong Kong University (Department of Chinese Studies), University of British Columbia and Sichuan University, as well as an honorary doctor by Hong Kong University (Department of Social Science), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Open University of Hong Kong, University of British Columbia, Soka University and University of Cambridge (yet to be conferred). He is also Honorary Fellow of the St. Antony's College and Wynflete Fellow of Magdalen College at Oxford University.
He is a recipient of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the French government [1] (http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/109375.htm). He was awarded the OBE in 1981.
Novels
Cha wrote a total of 15 pieces, of which one ("Sword of the Yue Maiden") was a short story and the other 14 were novels and novellas of various length. Most of his novels were published on newspaper in daily installments initially. The book editions were printed later. In order of publication these are (alternate translation in parentheses):
- Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge (The Romance of the Book and Sword)- T: 書劍恩仇錄 S: 书剑恩仇录 (first published on The New Evening Post in 1955)
- Sword Stained with Royal Blood - T: 碧血劍 S: 碧血剑 (first published on Hong Kong Commercial Daily in 1956)
- The Legend of the Condor Heroes (The Condor-Shooting Heroes) - T: 射鵰英雄傳 S: 射雕英雄传 (first published on Hong Kong Commercial Daily in 1957)
- Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain - T: 雪山飛狐 S: 雪山飞狐 (first installment appeared on the first issue of Ming Pao in 1959)
- The Return of the Condor Heroes (The Condor & The Lovers) - T: 神鵰俠侶 S: 神雕侠侣 (1959)
- The Young Flying Fox - T: 飛狐外傳 S: 飞狐外传 (1960)
- Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse T: 白馬嘯西風 S: 白马啸西风 (first published on Ming Pao in 1961)
- Blade-dance of the Two Lovers (Lovers' Sabers) T: 鴛鴦刀 S: 鸳鸯刀 (first published on Ming Pao in 1961)
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber - T: 倚天屠龍記 S: 倚天屠龙记 (first published on Ming Pao in 1961)
- Requiem of Ling Sing (A Deadly Secret) - T: 連城訣 S: 连城诀 (first published on Southeast Asia Weekly 《東南亞周刊》in 1963)
- Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Eightfold Path of the Heavenly Dragon) - T: 天龍八部 S: 天龙八部 (1963)
- Way of the Heroes (Ode to the Gallantry) - T: 俠客行 S: 侠客行(1965)
- The Smiling, Proud Wanderer - 笑傲江湖 (first published on Ming Pao in 1967)
- The Deer and the Cauldron (Duke of Mount Deer) - T: 鹿鼎記 S: 鹿鼎记 (1969)
- "Sword of the Yue Maiden" - T: 越女劍 S: 越女剑 (1970)
Of these, the novels (The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber) make up a trilogy that should be read in that order; a number of the other works also link to this trilogy (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is somewhat of a precursor to the Condor series). Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain and The Young Flying Fox are companion pieces with the same protagonist.
Interestingly, after he completed all his titles in 1972, it was discovered that the first characters of all 14 titles can be joined together to form a couplet with 7 characters on each line:
Traditional Chinese:
飛雪連天射白鹿
笑書神俠倚碧鴛
Simplified Chinese:
飞雪连天射白鹿
笑书神侠倚碧鸳
loose translation:
Shooting a white deer, snow flutters around the skies;
Smiling, [one] writes about the divine chivalrous one,
leaning against crimson lovebirds
Cha himself has stated that he has never intended there to be any such couplet, or even intended there to be 14 books in the first place; and his explanation is reasonable, since the couplet itself sounds somewhat forced in the second line. Nevertheless for Jinyong fans it is a handy mnemonic to remember all of his work.
The study of Jin Yong's work has spun off an individual area of study and discussion: Jinology. For years, readers and critics have written works discussing, debating, and analyzing his fictional world of martial arts; amongst the most famous are by Jin Yong's close friend and famous Chinese sci-fi novelist, Ni Kuang, who has written series of criticism analyzing the various personalities in his books.
Despite Jin Yong's popularity, some of his novels were banned outside Hong Hong due to political reasons. A number of them were outlawed in the People's Republic of China in the 1970s as they were thought to be satires of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution; others were banned in the Republic of China on Taiwan as they were thought to be in support of the Chinese Communist Party. None of these bans exists today; many politicians on both sides of the Straits are known to be readers of his works; Deng Xiaoping, for example, was himself an avowed fan.
Currently, Jin Yong is revising his novels for the second (and probably last) time, which will be completed in spring, 2006. So far the following novels have been revised:
- Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
- Sword Stained with Royal Blood
- The Legend of the Condor Heroes
- The Return of the Condor Heroes
- Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (this canon has two alternative short stories i.e. "Blade-dance of the Two Lovers" and "Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse")
- The Young Flying Fox
- Requiem of Ling Sing
- Way of the Heroes (this canon has an alternative short story too: "Sword of the Yue maiden")
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
Themes
Chinese nationalism is a strong theme in Jinyong's work. Throughout his books, Jinyong places great emphasis on Han Chinese self-determination and identity, and many of his novels are set in time periods when China proper was occupied or under the threat of occupation by northern peoples such as Khitans, Jurchens, Mongols, or Manchus. However, Jinyong gradually evolved Chinese nationalism into an inclusionist concept which encompass all present-day non-Han minorities. Jinyong himself expresses a fierce admiration for positive traits of non-Han Chinese peoples like the Mongols and Manchus. In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, for example, he casts Genghis Khan and his sons as capable and intelligent military leaders against the corrupt and ineffective bureaucrats of the Han Chinese Song Dynasty. And similarly, in The Deer and the Cauldron, Jinyong portrays the Manchu Kangxi Emperor as a sovereign of compassion and ability. In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Xiao Feng's split loyalty between the his blood ancestry as a Khitan and his adopted Han Chinese identity led to his tragic downfall.
Jinyong's books are often said to be a mini-encyclopedia on Chinese customs and culture, with references ranging from Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, wushu, music, calligraphy, weiqi, tea culture, philosophical thoughts like Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and imperial Chinese history. Historical figures often intermingle with fictional ones, making it difficult for the layperson to distinguish which are which--a feature which attests to the believability of his characters.
Although his works show clearly a great amount of respect and approval for traditional Chinese values, especially Confucian ideals, such as the proper relationship between empire and subject, father and son, elder brother and younger brother, and (particularly strongly, due to the wuxia nature of his novels), between master and disciple, and fellow disciples, he sometimes questions the validity of these values in something approaching a modern society. This is particularly obvious in the ostracism experienced by his two main characters -- Yang Guo's romantic relationship with his martial arts master Xiao Long Nuu (which was considered highly improper) in The Return of the Condor Heroes. Jinyong also places a great amount of emphasis on traditional values such as face and honour.
Finally, Jinyong breaks all the rules down in his final work The Deer and the Cauldron, whose anti-hero protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, is a bastard brothel boy who is greedy, lazy, and utterly disdainful of traditional rules of propriety.
Characters
Lead male characters of Jin Yong novels are often portrayed from a young age (around adolescence); the plot follows their trials and tribulations, before they eventually (usually) attain the highest levels of martial arts:
- Chen Jialuo (陳家洛) Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
- Yuan Chengzhi (袁承志) Sword Stained with Royal Blood
- Guo Jing (郭靖) The Legend of the Condor Heroes
- Yang Guo (楊過) The Return of the Condor Heroes
- Hu Yidao (胡一刀) Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain
- Hu Fei (胡斐)The Young Flying Fox
- Zhang Cuishan (張翠山)The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Zhang Wuji (張無忌) The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Di Yun (狄雲) A Deadly Secret
- Xiao Feng (蕭峰) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Duan Yu (段譽) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Xuzhu (虛竹) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Shi Potian (石破天) Ode to the Gallantry
- Linghu Chong (令狐沖)) The Smiling Proud Wanderer
- Wei Xiaobao (韋小寶) The Duke of the Mount Deer
Female lead Characters are usually there for love interest only. There are a few exceptions, however, such as Huang Rong in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, who, in addition to serving as the love interest to male protagonist Guo Jing, is also extensively characterized on her own as an independent character, and whose name has almost become synonymous with "the sly but sweet girl":
- Princess Fragrance (香香公主) Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
- Huo Qingtong (霍青桐) Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
- Li Yuanzhi (李沅芷) Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
- Xia Qingqing (夏青青) Sword Stained with Royal Blood
- A Jiu (阿九) Princess Changping(長平公主) Sword Stained with Royal Blood
- Huang Rong (黃蓉) The Legend of the Condor Heroes
- Xiaolongnu (小龍女) The Return of the Condor Heroes
- Yuan Ziyi (袁紫衣) The Young Flying Fox
- Cheng Lingsu (程靈素) The Young Flying Fox
- Miao Ruolan (苗若蘭) Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain
- Yin Susu (殷素素) The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Zhao Min (趙敏) The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若) The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Qi Fang (戚芳) A Deadly Secret
- Shui Sheng (水笙) A Deadly Secret
- A Zhu (阿朱) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- A Zi (阿紫) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Wang Yuyan (王語嫣) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Mu Wanqing (木娩清) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Zhong Ling (鐘靈) Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
- Xiao Zhonghui (蕭中慧) 鴛鴦刀
- Li Wenxiu (李文秀) 白馬嘯西風
- Ding Dang (丁當) Ode to the Gallantry
- A Xiu (阿繡) Ode to the Gallantry
- A Qing (阿青) "Sword of the Yue Maiden" - 越女剑
- Ren Yingying (任盈盈) The Smiling Proud Wanderer
- Yue Lingshan (岳靈珊) The Smiling Proud Wanderer
- Yi Lin (儀琳) The Smiling Proud Wanderer
- Shuang Er (雙兒) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- Su Quan (蘇荃) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- Zeng Rou (曾柔) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- Fang Yi (方怡) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- Mu Jianping (沐劍屏) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- Princess Jianning (建寧公主) The Duke of the Mount Deer
- A Ke (阿珂) The Duke of the Mount Deer
Support characters:
- Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師) the Condor trilogy
- Ouyang Feng (歐陽峰) the Condor trilogy
- Hong Qigong (洪七公) the Condor trilogy
- Zhou Botong (周伯通) the Condor trilogy
- Yideng (一燈) the Condor Trilogy & Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
Jinyong was very free with adapting actual historical characters into his books, often making them important support characters and attributing to them fictional dialogue, actions, and so forth. For example; Borjigin Tolui, the son of Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and eventual emperor of China, appears as a boyhood friend of Guo Jing, protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes; Wei Xiaobao, protagonist of The Deer and the Cauldron, becomes confidant and close friend to Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
- Genghis Khan (成吉思汗) Legend of the Condor Heroes
- Borjigin Tolui (拖雷) Legend of the Condor Heroes
- Zhu Yuanzhang (later Hongwu Emperor of China) (朱元璋) The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber
- Kangxi Emperor (康熙) The Deer and the Cauldron
- Qianlong Emperor (乾隆) Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge
Dugu Qiu Bai is another unique character in Jin Yong's novels. His name was first mentioned in the Return of the Condor Heroes, and then again in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. He was last mentioned in the Deer and the Cauldron. Although the character himself never appeared in any of the books, he was generally accepted to be the strongest fighter in Jin Yong's wuxia universe based on his legacy learned by the lead characters.
Schools
In Jin Yong's books, several sects of martial arts are repeatedly featured; many of these also exist in real life (though their details are, of course, subject to the artistic license of Jin Yong). Books comparing the martial arts under Jinyong's sects have been written.
The most frequently occurring martial arts schools, sects, and cults in Jin Yong's works are:
- The Shaolin Monastery Sect (少林派)
- The Wudang School (T: 武當派 S: 武当派)
- The Emei School (峨嵋派)
- The Ming Cult (大明教)
- The Quanzhen School (全真派)
- The Five Sacred Mountain Sword Schools (T: 五嶽劍派 S: 五岳剑派), which are:
- Tai Shan Sword School (泰山派)
- Heng Shan Sword School (South) (衡山派)
- Hua Shan Sword School (T: 華山派 S: 华山派)
- Heng Shan Sword School (North) (恒山派)
- Song Shan Sword School (嵩山派)
- The Beggars' Sect (T: 丐幫 S: 丐帮)
Timeline
Unspecified: The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (It is thought to have taken place during early Ming because of the existence of Wudang and Emei sects. Most likely early Ming because you don't hear of any Manchu threats). But in several movie adaptations including 'Swordsman II' staring Jet Li, it has been mentioned that the story took place during the reign of the Wanli Emperor, which would make it during the late Ming but just before the period of Manchu encroachment.
External links
- Online translations of some of Jinyong's novels into English (http://www.heroic-cinema.com/articles/wuxia_modern_jin.htm)
- More online translations of Jinyong (http://www.spcnet.tv/jinyong/jyreadingroom.shtml)ja:金庸