The Book and the Sword

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The Book and the Sword
Cover of the English translation of "The Book and the Sword" published by the Oxford University Press in 2005.
Author	Jin Yong
Original title	書劍恩仇錄
Translator	Graham Earnshaw
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Chinese
Genre(s)	Wuxia
Publisher	The New Evening Post, Oxford University Press
Publication date	8th February 1995
Published in English	2005

The Book and the Sword (simplified Chinese: 书剑恩仇录; traditional Chinese: 書劍恩仇錄; pinyin: Shū Jiàn Ēn Chóu Lù; Jyutping: Syu1 Gim3 Jan1 Sau4 Luk6; literally, "The Book and the Sword: Gratitude and Vengeance") is the first Wuxia novel by Jin Yong^[1]. It was first serialized on February 8, 1955 in The New Evening Post and ran for about one year.

Set in Qing China during the rule of the Qianlong Emperor, The Book and the Sword details the quest of the Red Flower Society, an organisation aimed at overthrowing the ruling Manchurian government, and their entanglements with an Islamic Uyghur tribe. The "book" in the title refers to a Qu'ran stolen from this tribe. Historical characters such as the Qianlong Emperor, Zhaohui (兆惠), Heshen, Zheng Xie and Fu Kang'an are also mentioned in the novel. One of the female protagonists, Princess Fragrance, is loosely based on the Qianlong Emperor's Fragrant Concubine.

This debut novel quickly established Jin Yong as one of the new masters of the genre. Alternate English titles of the novel are Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge and The Romance of the Book and Sword.

Plot

The novel's historical background is set in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The Red Flower Society is an anti-Manchu secret society which aims to overthrow the ruling Qing Dynasty and restore Han Chinese rule in China. The society is led by a total of 15 leaders with Chen Jialuo as its primary leader. Wen Tailai, the fourth leader of the society, is arrested by Qing soldiers on the emperor's orders. Wen holds the key to a secret behind the true ethnicity of the emperor and his arrest is an attempt to silence him.

The plot's development is mostly based on the society's repeated attempts to rescue Wen Tailai. The heroes encounter some tribespeople from an Uyghur tribe who are pursuing an escort convoy which has robbed them of their holy artefact, a Qu'ran. Chen Jialuo aids them in defeating the convoy and recovers the holy book. He wins the respect of Huo Qingtong, the daughter of the tribe's leader. She also falls in love with him. Throughout the story, some of the heroes eventually find their rights after going through thick and thin together. The couples Xu Tianhong and Zhou Qi, Yu Yutong and Li Yuanzhi, are married after two lengthy subplots.

Chen Jialuo and the heroes follow the trail of the convoy escorting Wen Tailai back to the capital city and reach Hangzhou. In Hangzhou, Chen Jialuo meets Qianlong, who is travelling in disguise, and by coincidence they strike up a friendship. However, later when the duo recognise each other, they become wary and suspicious of the other. Qianlong's best warriors are defeated by the society's heroes in a martial arts contest and Qianlong feels humiliated. He wants to summon his army to eradicate the society, but refrains from doing so as he is aware of the society's strong influence in Hangzhou.

When Chen Jialuo finally rescues Wen Tailai, he is shocked to hear that the Qianlong Emperor is not a Manchu at all, but in fact, a Han Chinese. Even more shockingly, Wen reveals that Qianlong is actually Chen Jialuo's elder brother, who has been replaced at birth with the Yongzheng Emperor's daughter. Chen Jialuo and the heroes take Qianlong hostage and try to persuade him to acknowledge his ethnicity. They suggest that he use his power and status to drive the Manchurians out of the Central Plains and affirm that he will still remain in power after doing so. The emperor agrees reluctantly and both sides come to a truce.

At the same time, the Qing army invades modern-day Xinjiang, where the Uyghurs live. The Uyghurs are at war so Chen Jialuo decides to travel there and help his friends. He meets Huo Qingtong again and her younger sister Kesili (Princess Fragrance). Chen is attracted by Kesili's beauty and falls in love with her. However, he gradually becomes entangled in a complex love triangle as Huo Qingtong is also in love with him. The Uyghur tribe is annihilated by the Qing army eventually and Kesili is taken captive and escorted back to the capital Beijing.

Qianlong is attracted by Kesili's beauty and tries to force her to become his concubine but she refuses. Chen Jialuo infiltrates the palace and meets Qianlong again. He reminds Qianlong of his earlier promise to put the nation's interests before his own, whilst promising that he will persuade Kesili to become Qianlong's concubine. Kesili discovers that Qianlong is going back on his word and planning to annihilate the entire society. She commits suicide to warn Chen. The society is angry with Qianlong for breaking his promise and they storm the palace which culminates into a bloody battle. Qianlong is forced to come a truce with the society once more and eventually the heroes let him off on the condition that he promise never to persecute the society again. After paying their final respects to Kesili, Chen and the heroes return to the Western regions.

Characters

• Chen Jialuo (陳家洛) – the protagonist of the novel. He is a disciple of Yuan Shixiao and is first introduced in the novel as the leader of the Red Flower Society. He is usually dressed formally and presents himself as a young nobleman.

• Huo Qingtong (霍青桐) – the daughter of the Islamic Uyghur tribe's leader. She first meets Chen Jialuo who helps her recover the Qu'ran which has been stolen from her tribe. She is an expert in martial arts as well as a resourceful military tactician.

• Princess Fragrance (香香公主) – her real name is Kesili (喀絲麗) and she is the younger sister of Huo Qingtong. She is in love with Chen Jialuo but is captured by Qianlong, who forces her to be his concubine. She agrees but when she discovers that he is going back on his word, she commits suicide to warn Chen Jialuo.

• Qianlong Emperor (乾隆皇帝) – the ruler of the Qing Empire. He desires to be remembered in history as a wise and great ruler. He oppresses the people under his rule and persecutes the Red Flower Society. He is revealed to be actually the elder brother of Chen Jialuo. He is switched at birth with the Yongzheng Emperor's daughter and raised as Yongzheng's son and eventually inherits the throne.

Adaptions

Films

TV series

Radio broadcasts

• In 1999, Hong Kong's RTHK produced a 32 episodes radio serial, voiced played by Tse Kwan Ho as Qianlong, Gigi Leung as Princess Fragrance, Chow Kwok Fung as Chen Jialuo/Fu Kang'an and Jacqueline Pang as Huo Qingtong.

References

• 书剑恩仇录 百度百科 (Chinese)

External links

• Jin Yong Teahouse (Chinese) - fansite of Jin Yong's novels in Chinese
• Jin Yong Jianghu (金庸江湖) (Chinese) - fansite, forums and complete works of Jin Yong's novels
• Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge (English) - Information on the revisions of the novel at Wuxiapedia.com