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| Guo Jing (郭靖) | |
|---|---|
| The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes character | |
| Created by | Jin Yong |
| Portrayed by | see below |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | "Northern Hero" (北俠) |
| Aliases | "Great Hero Guo" (郭大俠) |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of death | 31 January 1273[citation needed] |
| Family | Guo Xiaotian (father), Li Ping (mother) |
| Spouse(s) | Huang Rong |
| Children | Guo Fu, Guo Xiang, Guo Polu |
Guo Jing (simplified Chinese: 郭靖; traditional Chinese: 郭靖; pinyin: Guō Jìng; Jyutping: Gwok3 Zing6) is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a Wuxia novel by Jin Yong[1]. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well. He is a fictitious descendant of Guo Sheng of the 108 Liangshan Heroes in the Water Margin.
Guo Jing and Yang Kang are both named by the Taoist priest Qiu Chuji, who urges them to remember the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident and to be loyal towards their country.
Guo Jing's date of birth, with calculation from the novel[2], is approximately on a night of a full moon in November 1205 [3].
Guo Jing is killed after the fall of Xiangyang to Mongolian invaders. Historical records indicate Xiangyang fell on 31st January 1273 so it is assumed that Guo Jing dies on the same day.
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Character description
Guo Jing has thick eyebrows, large eyes, a sturdy and strong stature and a complexion somewhere between dark and fair. He is described to be "dumb", slow in learning and inarticulate. These traits he possesses are in direct opposition to those of his wife, the intelligent and witty Huang Rong.
Guo Jing's most distinguishing feature, apart from his low-wittedness, is his constant strife for moral rectitude. He maintains a morally upright and righteous character of great virtues and principles. This is demonstrated clearly in his fierce loyalty towards his native homeland and race. Guo Jing is born and raised in Mongolia as a child but he is unwilling to side with the Mongolians to conquer his homeland Song China and exploit his own race. In the sequel novel, the adult Guo Jing dedicates his life and passion to serving his nation and defending it from foreign invaders.
Roles
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
The book follows Guo Jing's early years on the steppes of Mongolia, where his mother Li Ping fled to after the Jurchens killed his father Guo Xiaotian and destroyed his hometown.
Guo Jing and his mother become part of Genghis Khan's tribe. Guo Jing is a pleasant-mannered child and he befriends the Khan's children and associates. He becomes Anda with Tolui, the fourth son of the Khan. Subsequently, he encounters the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" and learns martial arts from them. Genghis Khan sees him as a loyal subject and close to a son, that he places great faith and trust in him and betroths his daughter Hua Zheng to him.
At the age of 18, Guo Jing leaves Mongolia to meet Yang Kang, the son of his father's sworn brother Yang Tiexin, for a contest agreed by their respective teachers years ago. This marks the beginning of Guo Jing's adventures and journey from an obscure lad to becoming a national hero. Guo Jing encounters several powerful and extraordinary pugilists, who teach him some of their skills. He becomes a powerful pugilist as well as he gradually matures in his ideals and thoughts. He meets Huang Rong, the love of his life and future wife, by chance and they go through thick and thin together and they are eventually married.
Guo Jing returns to Mongolia after his adventures and joins Genghis Khan in the campaign against the Khwarezm Empire in the western regions. He plays a significant role in the capture of the city of Samarkand and returns home in triumph. When he discovers later that the Khan is planning to invade his homeland of Song, he renounces his loyalty to the Khan and flees Mongolia. Since then, he vows to defend his homeland from foreign invaders and dedicates his life to doing so.
Guo Jing returns to Mongolia for the last time after the Khan has forgiven him. The Khan is on the verge of death and misses him, wanting to see him one last time before his death. Before the Khan's death, Guo Jing and him have a short debate on the definition of "hero".
The Return of the Condor Heroes
Guo Jing returns as a supporting hero in the sequel novel, set several years after the end of the prequel. The adult Guo Jing is now a prominent figure in the Chinese Wulin and highly-revered hero in the eyes of the people of Song. Guo Jing faces the arduous task of raising the orphaned son of his deceased sworn brother Yang Kang and guiding him on the path of goodness. He names the boy Yang Guo, in hope that the boy would redeem his family's reputation and honour, which has been tarnished by Yang Kang's villainy.
Guo Jing and his wife Huang Rong play active roles in shaping the characters of the protagonist Yang Guo. Guo Jing's fervent loyalty and sense of righteousness serves as an inspiration for Yang Guo and he serves as a role model for Yang to follow. On the other hand, Yang Guo sees the couple as his enemies for their roles in the death of his father and often harbours the intention of killing them. Yang Guo's anger and hatred gradually subsides when he discovers Guo Jing's humble and kind character, and when he learns the truth about his father's villainous past.
Guo Jing becomes an active member in the defence of the city of Xiangyang from Mongolian invaders. Guo Jing and Huang Rong have three children; eldest daughter Guo Fu and the twins Guo Xiang and Guo Polu. The girl Guo Xiang is named after the city of Xiangyang with the character "Xiang" in her name while the boy's name "Polu" means "to defeat and drive away barbarians[4]".
Guo Jing uses his knowledge and experience from his earlier campaigns to counter the Mongolians' invasion. His martial arts prowess makes him a powerful foe to his enemies and his reputation strikes fear in them. His heroic deeds in Xiangyang makes the Song people see him as an embodiment of hope. In the sequel to The Return of the Condor Heroes, it is mentioned that during the city of Xiangyang eventually falls to the Mongolian invaders. Guo Jing and his family were killed while Guo Xiang survived.
Martial arts and skills
The adult Guo Jing is one of the most powerful and accomplished pugilists of his age. His profound mastery of several different types of martial arts and skills surpasses that of many others in the Central Plains. Towards the end of The Return of the Condor Heroes, Guo's wife Huang Rong names him as one of the top five pugilists, with him as the "Northern Hero" (北俠) of the Five Greats. His repertoire of skills and martial arts include:
Mongolia
Guo Jing is one of the finest archers in Mongolia. He is trained in his early days by the legendary archer Jebe who served Genghis Khan. In his youth, Guo Jing once shot down two eagles soaring in the sky with a single arrow. The shooting incident earned him great fame and the admiration of the Khan. He also played wrestling as a sport with the Khan's children and associates in his childhood.
Seven Freaks of Jiangnan (江南七怪)
Guo Jing is first introduced to Chinese martial arts by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", a group of seven pugilists from Jiaxing, Jiangnan in Song China. The Freaks find the six-year-old Guo Jing after a long search which brings them to Mongolia. They teach him all the skills they know to prepare him for the scheduled competition with Yang Kang 18 years later.
Although the Freaks are not exactly the best martial arts teachers, their early training equipped Guo Jing with the foundation for learning advanced martial arts later. The Freaks did not teach Guo Jing any inner energy skills at all. At the age of 18, Guo Jing is a competent martial artist after having been trained by them for 12 years but he is still no match for any expert.
Quanzhen Sect (全真教)
Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi, elders of the Quanzhen Sect, teach Guo Jing some basics of their sect's inner energy techniques. Guo Jing is able to grasp and understand the basis of Quanzhen's Big Dipper Formation (七星北斗陣) used in combat after reading the Nine Yin Manual and observing the formation used in actual combat.
Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms (降龍十八掌)
Guo Jing meets the "Northern Beggar" Hong Qigong of the Five Greats by chance while out on adventure with Huang Rong. Hong decides to teach Guo Jing his famous "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" to repay Huang Rong's favours of preparing fine cuisine for him everyday during the brief period of time he spent with them. The Palms are mentioned to be the most powerful external martial arts of all Chinese martial arts and their sheer powers have been unmatched. The Palms become Guo's default martial arts in combat and Guo Jing gains fame in the Jianghu for putting them to good use.
Seventy-Two Styles Vacant Fist (七十二路空明拳)
Guo Jing meets the "Old Imp" Zhou Botong on Peach Blossom Island and becomes sworn brothers with him. Zhou teaches Guo the "Seventy-Two Styles Vacant Fist", the epitome of all internal martial arts mentioned in the novel. It is unmatched in subtlety and yet equal to the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" in power and ingenuity of style.
Technique of Ambidexterity (雙手互搏))
Zhou Botong also teaches Guo Jing the "Technique of Ambidexterity", which allows Guo to fight using two different sets of martial arts techniques simultaneously. This enhances his ability to take on more opponents in combat, but his powers do not necessarily increase. The slow-learning Guo Jing manages to master this technique unexpectedly in a short period of time, whereas, ironically, his more intelligent wife Huang Rong is unable to master it at all.
Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經)
Zhou Botong has with him a copy of the Nine Yin Manual, the most coveted martial arts of its time, for the incredible inner energy cultivation techniques and extraordinary skills it records. Zhou has been forbidden by Wang Chongyang to learn the skills within so he decides to let Guo Jing learn instead.
Guo Jing masters some of the manual's skills, which allows him to maximize the potential of the various skills he had learnt earlier. He can now alternate between hard and soft blows while using the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" and last longer while fighting stronger enemies. Mastering the manual paves Guo Jing's road to becoming one of the greatest pugilists of his age.
Peach Blossom Island (桃花島)
After his marriage to Huang Rong, Guo Jing learns the martial arts of his father-in-law "Eastern Heretic" Huang Yaoshi. It is uncertain on whether he did manage to master all of Huang's skills, but at the very least, Guo did learn Huang's finest and most celebrated "Finger-Flicking Skill" (彈指神通). Huang Yaoshi's martial arts are extremely complicated and demand a high level of intelligence to master, which is in direct opposition to Guo's low-wittedness and style of "power within simplicity".
Military strategy
Guo Jing learnt military strategy and tactics from the Book of Wumu (武穆遺書), a military textbook authored by Yue Fei. The textbook is highly coveted by many, as it is widely believed that whoever who owns the book will dominate the world. The Jurchens of the Jin Empire and the Mongolians are amongst those actively seeking the book.
Guo Jing finds the book on Iron Palm Peak by chance. He reads through the book thoroughly and employed some of the tactics and strategies during the war with the Khwarezm Empire. The experience he gains from the Mongolian campaigns and knowledge from the book allows him to become a brilliant military commander.
Legacy
Before leaving for good, Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü gave Guo Xiang their pair of Gentleman and Lady Swords and Yang's Heavy Iron Sword. The swords were later melted and reforged into the Heaven-Reliant Sword and Dragon-Slaying Saber.
Guo Jing wrote the Nine Yin Manual from memory during the Siege of Xiangyang. In addition, he wrote a martial arts manual for his Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms as well. The manuals were hidden inside the blade of the Heaven-Reliant Sword. Guo Jing also detailed all his military experiences and knowledge from the Wumu Yishu on a piece of cloth and hid it inside the blade of the Dragon-Slaying Saber. The Heaven-Reliant Sword were brought out of Xiangyang before its fall by Guo Xiang, however unfortunately the Dragon-Slaying Saber fell into the hands of the Mongolians after Guo Polu's death. They serve as references for later generations who will continue Guo Jing's legacy of loyalty to the Han Chinese.
Family tree
| Guo Xiaotian |
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Guo Jing |
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| Feng Heng |
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Wu Santong |
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Wu Sanniang |
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Film and TV adaptations
- List of actors who played Guo Jing
- Cho Tat Wah (1958)
- Alexander Fu Sheng (1977-1981)
- Jason Pai (1976, 1995)
- Felix Wong (1982)
- Bryan Leung (1983)
- Xiang Yunpeng (1984)
- Zhang Hanbo (1984)
- Howie Wong (1988)
- Julian Cheung (1994)
- Zhu Houren (1998)
- Sun Xing (1998)
- Li Yapeng (2003)
- Wang Luoyong (2006)
- Hu Ge (2008)
See also
- Huang Rong
- List of characters from The Legend of the Condor Heroes
- List of characters from The Return of the Condor Heroes
References
- ^ a.k.a. Louis Cha
- ^ See the timeline of events.
- ^ According to Chapter 3 of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing was born on the 10th lunar month. The equivalent in the Gregorian calendar is approximately November.
- ^ The "barbarians" refer to the Mongolian invaders.
- 郭靖 百度百科 (Chinese)
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