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An Essay on Jin Yong and his Novels

By Lee Jun

FOREWORD

First of all I would like to thank Mr. Lâm for inviting me to write about Jin Yong and his novels. This essay is about Jin Yong and my opinions of his works. Please feel free to E-mail your comments and criticisms about my article at jun.lee@stonebow.otago.ac.nz.

I apologise if I insult your favourite hero or heroine or novel. I also apologise if I get the characters' names and events wrong as I read some of the novels a few years ago, and I may have forgotten a bit of the story. But one thing is certain, I won't get the basic storyline wrong.

The Man Behind the Novels : Jin Yong

There is a popular Chinese saying that goes : Where there are Chinese, there is certain to be Jin Yong novels.

Jin Yong is the pen name of Louis Cha @ Cha Liang Rong (Tra Lương Dung). Jin Yong is renowned for his martial arts novels (14 in all). Because of him, Yang Guo (Dương Quá), Guo Jing (Quách Tỉnh) and Ling Hu Chong (Lệnh Hồ Xung) have become household names in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and places "where there are Chinese". His novels have been made into TV series, made into films, "cartoonized" and translated into other languages.

Louis Cha is the first writer in Chinese History who has made a fortune just by writing. In 1991, he was ranked the 64th richest Chinese with an estimated fortune of $HK120 million. The ex-owner of the Ming Bao Daily News does not write any more but is retired, learning Chinese Windows, learning to use the computer and learning English. He is also supervising the publication of his novels in Simplified Chinese (Jian Ti Zhi), as his novels are presently published in the complex form of written Chinese (Fan Ti Zhi).

The Novels

Altogether Jin Yong wrote fourteen novels. This part of the essay is my opinion of his novels.
  1. Romance of the Book and Sword (Shu Jian Eng Chou Lu - Thư Kiếm Ân Cừu Lục)

    This is Jin Yong's first novel. It is not my favourite though I found the storyline quite interesting. At this stage, Jin Yong was just getting started so the story and the style of writing is a bit "immature" in my opinion.

    The hero in this novel is Chen Jia Luo (Trần Gia Lạc) and the leader of the Red Flower Society. After reading the novel, I feel that his attempts at being a leader were disastrous from the start and full of bungles. Well, I can't blame him as he was quite inexperienced and young when leadership was thrust upon him. Perhaps Jin Yong is trying to portray his naivete and inexperience at writing martial arts novels through Chen Jia Luo.

    The novel makes an interesting point about the legend that Chien Lung (Càn Long), the Manchu Emperor, was in fact Chinese by birth, not Manchu. It also shows how the lust for power and the desire to keep it can make men betray even their own blood brothers. The interested reader can find an English translation of this novel by Graham Earnshaw on this page.

  2. The Sword Tainted With Royal Blood (Bi Xue Zhian - Bích Huyết Kiếm)

    I felt a bit puzzled after reading this novel as the story did not seem to have any connection with the title.

    The Hero in this story, Yuan Chen Zhi (Viên Thừa Chí) is not my favourite as seen in the ending - he escapes overseas with his girlfriend Wen Ching Ching as soon as he hears that Manchus have taken over. In other words, a bit weak-willed. He even needs his girl friend to prod him into action.

    I didn't like the heroine, Wen Ching Ching, either. She comes across as a selfish, malicious, easily jealous brat.

    For me, the real hero and heroine were Xia Xue Yi @ The Golden Snake and Wen Ching Ching's father and mother. Ching's mother is admirable, as seen in her courage in bringing up her illegitimate daughter in the face of tradition and culture at the time which looked down on illegitimate children.

  3. Eagle Shooting Heroes (She Diao Ing Xiung Zhuang - Xạ Điêu Anh Hùng Truyện)

    Jin Yong's landmark novel which made him a household name. I like this novel because of the interesting characters which have depth and the interesting storyline.

    The novels contains many characters which have become household names like Guo Jing (Quách Tỉnh), Huang Rong (Hoàng Dung), Evil East (Đông Tà), Malicious West (Tây Độc), Northern Beggar (Bắc Cái) and Southern Emperor (Nam Đế). Martial arts styles such as the Eighteen Dragon Fists (Giáng Long Thập Bát Chưởng), The Dog-Beating Bamboo Cane (Đả Cẩu Bổng Pháp), Toad Stance Kung Fu (Hà Ma Công) have also become famous.

    Guo Jing, the main character, is not too bright and slow witted but through sheer guts and determination, he manages to learn Kung Fu and even manages to memorize the "Jiu Yun Zhen Jing" (Cửu Ấm Chân Kinh). Somehow he reminds me of Forrest Gump in the movie, "Forrest Gump". Maybe somebody in Hollywood picked up this novel and decided to apply it to the American way of life.

    Jin Yong was probably telling us that intelligence does not always matter. You also need diligence and determination.

  4. The Giant Eagle and Its Companion (Shen Diao Xia Lu - Thần Điêu Hiệp Lữ)

    This novel is a sequel to the Eagle Shooting Heroes. This novel is a sad novel and I always cry whenever I come to the bit when Yang Guo (Dương Quá) and Xia Long Nu (Tiểu Long Nữ) are separated.

    Yang Guo reminds me of James Dean in the movie "Rebel Without A Cause". He rebels against traditions and even goes to the point of marrying his own Si Fu (Master), a shameful thing in society at that time.

    This novel was written when Jin Yong was just establishing his own newspaper, "Ming Bao". He is actually writing about his worries, frustrations, difficulties encountered and anger during that period. One could say that Yang Guo is Jin Yong's alter ego.

    This novel also makes the point that age doesn't matter. It is experience which ages. An interesting note to parents from this novel: Don't spoil your children or they could end up like Guo Fu (Quách Phù), the spoilt, bumbling brat of a daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

  5. The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre (Yi Tian Tu Lung Ji - Ỷ Thiên Đồ Long Ký)

    A conclusion of the Eagle-Shooting Heroes saga which takes place about 100 years after the "Giant Eagle and Its Companion".

    I did not really like the sad endings of Guo Xiang, Guo Jing, Huang Rong and Guo Puo Lu (Guo Xiang's twin brother). I would like it if Mr. Cha gave Guo Xiang (Quách Tường) and Guo Puo Lu (Quách Phá Lỗ) more depth in character as I felt they were rather shallow in Giant Eagle.

    I liked the story and its complex, interesting plot but I did not like the "hero" : Zhang Wu Ji (Trương Vô Kỵ) in the story. He comes across as a wishy-washy, naive and indecisive person. He cannot even figure out which girl he likes. I preferred Zhang Cui Shan (Trương Thúy Sơn) and Yan Su Su (Hân Tố Tố), Wu Ji's parents but they had to die early in the story. I also liked "The Golden Lion" (Kim Mao Sư Vưong Tạ Tốn) as he is strong, cunning and clever.

  6. Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (Xue Shan Fei Hu - Tuyết Sơn Phi Hồ)

    This short story did not leave very much impression on me. I had the feeling that the characters were too shallow. Even Hu Fei,"Flying Fox" (Hồ Phi) who appeared at the end of the story seemed to have a very minor role.

    Still the story's ending left me in suspense. Did Hu Fei finally kill or spare his "girlfriend's" father ? We have to ask Mr. Cha what he had in mind.

    As I read this story a few years ago, the heroine's name and some of the characters' names have slipped from my mind. If you want to help me fill it in, please feel free to do so.

  7. Young Flying Fox (Fei Hu Wai Zhuan - Phi Hồ Ngoại Truyện)

    This story is supposed to be a prequel to "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain" but Mr. Cha claims that he did not have this in mind when writing the story.

    Here Hu Fei is made more interesting as Mr.Cha gives his character more depth. This story is also a sequel to "Romance of the Book and Sword" as Hu Fei meets the middle-aged Chen Jia Luo.

  8. White Horse of the West Wind (Bai Ma Xiao Xi Fung - Bạch Mã Khiếu Tây Phong)

    Another short story by Mr.Cha but it left a lasting impression on me. I especially liked the ending where the "treasure" turned out to be books, pottery and literature, not the expected gold and precious stones.

    The white horse in this story is just the heroine's mount. As usual, my memory fails me. I would appreciate it if somebody told me the names of the characters.

  9. The Lovers' Sword (Yuan Yang Dao - Uyên Ương Đao)

    Yet another short martial arts story by Mr. Cha which didn't make much impression on me. Thus I've forgotten the hero's and heroine's names.

    The only really interesting bit about this novel is the Lovers' Sword which have to be used by really lovesick couples. But this was already done in Giant Eagle and Its Companion. Yang Guo used the Quan Zhen Jiao Sword (Toàn Chân Giáo) techniques while Xiao Lung Nu used the Virgin Sword (Ngọc Nữ Kiếm) Techniques.

  10. Laughing Proudly At the World (Xiao Ao Jiang Hu - Tiếu Ngạo Giang Hồ)

    A long martial arts novel. The storyline is interesting as you do not meet the hero, Ling Hu Chung (Lệnh Hồ Xung) until half way through Book 1 (This novel is published in four books in the Chinese version).

    A lot of things to do with personality, homosexuality, transvestites and cross-dressing in this novel. I wonder if this novel caused an uproar when it was published at that time (the sixties and seventies). Can somebody tell me please?

    The novel is something like "A Deadly Secret". Yue Bu Qin (Nhạc Bất Quần) betrayed Ling Hu Chung just to get the "Rui Hua Bao Dian" (Quỳ Hoa Bảo Điẻn - SunFlower Scrolls). Ling Ping Zhi (Lâm Bình Chi) killed his own wife who was Ling Hu Chung's true love just to save his own neck.

    The novel also shows an age-old problem : power corrupts.

  11. Ode To the Swordsman (Xia Ke Hang - Hiệp Khách Hành)

    Another "Forrest Gump" of Martial arts in this novel. She Puo Tian (Thạch Phá Thiên), an illiterate, rather dumb kid manages to crack a code in a poem entitled "Ode To the Swordsman" and learns the greatest martial art ever known.

    The novel reminds me of Victor Hugo's "The Man in the Iron Mask" and the American movie, "Dave". Having appearances similar to somebody's really causes a lot of trouble and yet can be a blessing.

  12. A Deadly Secret (Lian Chen Jie - Liên Thành Quyết)

    This novel really scared me after reading it. I know wealth is a powerful thing. But is it that powerful enough to turn father against daugher, enough to cause a master to kill his own disciple ? I shudder whenever I think of it.

    An example of how the desire for revenge can fire the will to live.

  13. Eight Demigods and Devils (Tian Lung Ba Bu - Thiên Long Bát Bộ)

    This long novel is supposed to be connected to Buddhism. As I am not a Buddhist, I am not sure how this novel is related to Buddhism. I would appreciate it if someone could explain it to me.

    Like "The Sword Tainted with Royal Blood", the storyline doesn't seem to be associated with the title.

    An interesting feature about this novel is that it has 4 main characters, unlike Mr. Cha's previous novels which had one or two main characters. The problem with having too many main characters is that the novel becomes cluttered and confusing. Yet Mr. Cha, with his skill, avoids this problem.

    My favourite character here is Xiao Feng (Tiêu Phong), the leader of the Beggar Clan (Cái Bang) who was ousted when it was revealed that he was a Khitan (Khiết Đan), the hated enemies of the Chinese. Mr. Cha is probably telling us about a problem which has existed to this very day : racial prejudice. Because of that, Xiao Feng died at the end of the story.

  14. The Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji - Lộc Đỉnh Ký)

    When I first started reading this novel, I was rather suprised at Mr.Cha's "hero", Wei Xiao Bao (Vi Tiểu Bảo). Wei Xiao Bao is obnoxious, obscene, illiterate and lazy. He does not know any martial arts and depends solely on his wits, cunning and flattery (his most important weapon) to get out of danger, steal money or to win favour.

    Yet he becomes the leader of the Green Wood Sect (a branch of the Red Flower Society which is committed to overthrowing the Manchus and reestablishing the Ming Dynasty), the emperor's closest friend, gets seven wives, amasses a huge fortune, flirts with the Russian Tsarina ....the list just goes on.

    If you found "Giant Eagles and Its Companion" saddening, you will find "The Duke of Mount Deer" hilarious and fun reading. I recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh. I really like the way Wei Xiao Bao mispronounces the names of people and places, making them sound really odd and hilarious.

    Although this novel has some serious connotations like betrayal, Machiavellian politics and loyalty, it has plenty of funny parts. Obviously Mr. Cha wanted a change of scenery and he made the right choice. I think Mr. Cha wants to show readers that he does not always write about serious things all the time, but that he has got a sense of humour.

    I notice that Mr. Cha always puts in some characters from other novels into his other novels. In "Mount Deer", Princess Chang Ping from "Sword Tainted With Royal Blood" appears and becomes Wei Xiao Bao's Si Fu. He does the same for "Young Flying Fox" and "Romance of the Book and Sword". Usually writers have a hard time doing crossovers, but Mr. Cha manages to pull this off without disrupting the flow of the story. Hats off to Mr.Cha and his writing skill.

    And so I end my essay about Jin Yong and his novels. Thank you for taking the time to read it and comment on it.

Written on 29/11/96
About the writer

Hi, dear readers, just a short introduction about me. My name is Lee Jun but in New Zealand, I am Jun Lee. I'm currently a 2nd year Medical Student at the University of Otago. I am from Sarawak, Malaysia.

My favourite pastimes are net surfing, cooking, reading, watching TV, listening to music and badminton. My favourite Jin Yong Novels are Giant Eagle and Its Companion (Shen Diao Xia Lu), Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji) and Eight Demigods and Devils (Tian Lung Ba Bu). My favourite characters are Yang Guo, Evil East (Dung Xie), Guo Xiang and Wei Xiao Bao.

I like making new friends, so please feel free to contact me at jun.lee@stonebow.otago.ac.nz or Flat 2, 82 Queen Street, 9001 Dunedin, New Zealand.

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