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| The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber | |
| Author | Jin Yong |
|---|---|
| Original title | 倚天屠龍記 |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Chinese |
| Series | Condor Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Wuxia |
| Publisher | Ming Pao |
| Publication date | 1961 |
| ISBN | 1-58899-183-0 |
| Preceded by | The Return of the Condor Heroes |
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (traditional Chinese: 倚天屠龍記; simplified Chinese: 倚天屠龙记; pinyin: Yǐ Tiān Tú Lóng Jì; Jyutping: Ji2 Tin1 Tou4 Lung4 Gei3) is a Chinese Wuxia novel by Louis Cha, who is better known as Jin Yong. It was first serialized in Ming Pao in 1961 [1]. The literal translation of the title is The Tale of Heaven-Reliant and Dragon-Slayer.
Louis Cha revised the novel in 1979 with a number of amendments and additions. This is the edition which is the most familiar to readers. A second revision was published in early 2005, incorporating later thoughts and a lengthier conclusion. The second revision introduced many changes to the plot and cleared up some ambiguities in the second edition, such as the origin of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing. However, some Jin Yong fans were disappointed with the new revisions.
The novel was intended to be the third and final installment of a trilogy after The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳) and The Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕俠侶). The historical background was set in the late Yuan Dynasty, nearly a century after that of the second novel, which was set in the final years of the Song Dynasty.
As typical of many of his other Wuxia novels, Jin Yong implemented elements of history in the story, including characters such as the founder of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋), Chen Youliang (陳友諒), Chang Yuchun (常遇春), Zhang Sanfeng (張三豐) and factual organisations such as the Ming Cult (明教). The political clash between the Han Chinese and the Mongolians was also prominently featured in the plot.
Contents |
Plot
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The plot summary in this article is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the content. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (February 2009) |
Set in the late Yuan Dynasty, the story revolves around a pair of priceless and extremely powerful weapons, known respectively as the Heaven-Reliant Sword (倚天劍) and Dragon-Slaying Sabre (屠龍刀) which many Wulin martial artists covet. Either or both of them are thought to allow their wielder to rule the martial arts world, according to a widely circulating rumour in a repeated mantra, though for some reason they are now lost.
The novel's main protagonist, Zhang Wuji (張無忌) was born on an isolated island known as Ice Fire Island (冰火島). In the early years of his life, he had never met another human being besides his parents (Zhang Cuishan (張翠山) and Yin Susu (殷素素)) and godfather Xie Xun (謝遜). He learnt some basic martial arts and survival skills from them during his ten-year long stay on the island until the time was ripe for them to make their long journey by sea back to the Central Plains. His godfather, however, decided to remain on the island in solitude, with only the Dragon-Slaying Sabre he acquired ten years ago to keep him company.
Upon the family's return to the Central Plains, several pugilists and famous sects including the Shaolin Sect, started harassing them, asking for the whereabouts of Xie Xun and the Dragon-Slaying Sabre. Zhang Cuishan and his wife refused to divulge the whereabouts of their sworn brother and committed suicide, and the young Zhang Wuji became an orphan overnight. He was extremely devastated by the sudden loss of his parents. At the same time, he suffered pains from the wounds inflicted on him by the evil Xuan Ming Elders (玄冥二老). His father’s teacher, Zhang Sanfeng (張三豐), managed to sustain his life with his powerful inner energy and travelled around with him seeking physicians to heal him.
Eventually, Zhang Sanfeng left Zhang Wuji in the care of Chang Yuchun (常遇春), who led him to Butterfly Valley (蝴蝶谷) where the infamous physician Hu Qingniu (胡青牛) dwelled. Hu Qingniu managed to cure Zhang Wuji partially of his wounds, and imparted his medical skills to Zhang in the process. After the death of Hu Qingniu, Zhang Wuji travelled with the young Yang Buhui (楊不悔), who too lost her mother overnight all the way to Kunlun Mountain where the girl’s father Yang Xiao (楊逍) was.
After delivering Yang Buhui safely to her father, Zhang Wuji was captured by Wei Yixiao (韋一笑), who was notorious for sucking human blood, but Wei threw him into a deep chasm after realising that Zhang's blood was infected. Zhang Wuji survived the fall and lived for a few years in the valley, relying on his basic survival skills and martial arts. He also happened to find the Nine Yang Manual (九陽真經) by chance and mastered its skills, which enabled him to purge the venom in his body completely and enhance his inner energy.
Zhang Wuji left the valley and returned to civilisation, only to find that all those around him who knew his true identity were often plotting against him, trying to make him divulge the whereabouts of his godfather. Zhang Wuji met Yin Li (殷離), a horribly disfigured girl and travelled for a while together with her. Meanwhile, the six great sects were preparing for war with the Ming Cult (明教), besieging the cult at its main headquarters on Bright Peak (光明頂). Zhang Wuji managed to resolve the conflict by defeating experts from the six sects and exposing Cheng Kun (成昆)'s evil plan into stirring up conflict among the various sects.
At the same time, Zhang Wuji encountered a beautiful girl of mixed heritage named Xiao Zhao (小昭). Both of them escaped death by inches while in the secret tunnel, where Zhang Wuji discovered Yang Dingtian (陽頂天)’s corpse and the Heaven and Earth Great Shift (乾坤大挪移) martial arts manual. He mastered the skill in addition to his Jiu Yang Shen Gong (九陽神功) and henceforth became a formidable martial artist. He was nominated to be the new leader of the Ming Cult, which he reluctantly agreed.
Later, the six sects were all held captive by the Mongolian military led by the princess Zhao Min (趙敏) and her cronies. Zhang Wuji managed to rescue the captives, after several skirmishes with the Mongolians. Here, he fell in love with Zhao Min, who had the same feelings for him as well.
Zhang Wuji travelled together with Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若), a childhood friend who had succeeded Mie Jue (滅絕) as leader of the Emei Sect, to where his godfather resided. Zhang was extremely happy to be reunited with his godfather. However, Zhou Zhiruo was actually acting secretly behind their backs, plotting to get the two weapons according to her teacher’s dying wishes. Zhou acquired the two weapons through a vicious scheme and unveiled the hidden secret. She killed Yin Li, framing Zhao Min for the act and made off with the Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經) which was hidden inside the weapons.
When Zhang Wuji and his companions left the island and returned to the mainland, Cheng Kun and Chen Youliang (陳友諒) were plotting to cause chaos in the martial arts world once again. Zhang Wuji brought his godfather Xie Xun back to the mainland after so many years of separation, but Xie Xun was lured and captured by Cheng Kun and his villains. At the same time, Zhou Zhiruo was captured by Chen Youliang, who used her to manipulate Song Qingshu (宋青書), who was deeply obsessed with her, into following his wishes as part of their evil plan.
Zhang Wuji met Zhao Min again but he did not trust her fully and still believed she was responsible for killing Yin Li and isolating them on the island, yet at the same time, was unable to kill her because he was still rather doubtful and still loved her. Then, Zhang Wuji rescued Zhou Zhiruo from Chen Youliang and he and Zhou Zhiruo were planning to get married when Zhao Min suddenly appeared at the wedding and stopped Zhang Wuji, by saying she knew the whereabouts of his godfather Xie Xun. Zhang Wuji immediately abandoned his wedding and went off with Zhao Min, which angered Zhou Zhiruo and she attacked Zhao Min. Zhou Zhiruo started to reveal her true colours and she developed an intense hatred for Zhang Wuji for betraying her feelings. She vowed to kill Zhao Min and make Zhang Wuji pay for embarrassing her at the wedding.
At the same time, Cheng Kun hatched an evil plan to stir up trouble, this time by hosting a Lion-Slaying Heroes' Gathering (屠獅英雄會) at Shaolin Monastery (少林寺), inviting the various sects and all pugilists to attend. They will all engage in a contest to determine who is the most powerful martial artist alive and Xie Xun, who was being held captive in Shaolin, will be given to the victor and his fate at the victor's disposal. Zhou Zhiruo emerged victorious, using her Nine Yin White Bone Claw (九陰白骨爪) to defeat all who challenged her. She faced Zhang Wuji, who initially could have defeated her, but he refrained from doing so out of pity and Zhou seized the opportunity to strike back.
Zhang Wuji, together with Zhou Zhiruo's help, managed to defeat the three monks holding Xie Xun captive and freed Xie Xun. Xie Xun had reflected on his past misdoings and repented while in captive. However, he was still determined to settle all the past feuds he had with Cheng Kun. Cheng Kun was defeated by Xie Xun eventually and was blinded and lost all his powers. Meanwhile, Chen Youliang was captured by the Ming Cult and he decided to surrender to the Ming Cult.
The novel ends on a happy note for Zhang Wuji, who decided to leave the Ming Cult and lead a reclusive life with his love interests Zhao Min. As for the happenings in China, Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) betrayed the Ming Cult and founded the Ming Dynasty.
The Two Weapons
The Origins
It was revealed that the two weapons, the Heaven Sword (倚天劍, yǐ tiān jiàn) and the Dragon Saber (屠龍刀, tú lóng dāo), were actually reforged from a single sword, the Heavy Black-Iron Sword (玄鐵重劍, xuán tiě zhòng jiàn), which Yang Guo (楊過) wielded in The Return of the Condor Heroes, set nearly a century ago.
The Heavy Iron Sword belonged to Dugu Qiubai (獨孤求敗), a great swordsman whose skills were unmatched in his lifetime. Yang Guo chanced upon the Heavy Iron Sword while he was recovering from the Love Flower's poison and the loss of his right arm. Later, when Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü left Xiangyang, they left the sword with the couple Guo Jing (郭靖) and Huang Rong (黃蓉). It was said that the sword was melted and special steel material was added and it was reforged to become two weapons; the Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber.
In the 3rd revised edition of the novel, the Heaven Sword was reforged from Yang Guo's 'Gentleman Sword' (君子劍, jūn zǐ jiàn) and Xiaolongnü (小龍女)'s 'Lady Sword' (淑女劍, shú nǚ jiàn) while the Dragon Saber's origin remained unchanged.
The Secret
Hidden within the blade of the Dragon Saber was a book of military strategies and manoeuvres entitled Wu Mu Yi Shu (武穆遺書), which was written by the famous Song Dynasty patriot Yue Fei (岳飛). Similarly, hidden within the blade of the Heaven Sword were two scrolls detailing the powerful martial arts Jiu Yin Zhen Jing (九陰真經) and Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang (降龍十八掌).
The Dragon Saber was given to Guo Jing and Huang Rong's son Guo Polu (郭破虜) while the Heaven Sword was bestowed upon their younger daughter Guo Xiang (郭襄), who would become the founder of the Emei Sect.
The content of the hidden book and scrolls, in addition to the fact that the weapons can only be damaged and broken when used against each other (thereby revealing the hidden items within), was the source of the claim that whoever possessed the Dragon Saber will rule the world and yet only the one who possesses the Heaven Sword can stand against the wielder of the Saber.
The secret of the weapons was passed down via (and only through) the leaders of the Emei Sect. Mie Jue was succeeded by Zhou Zhiruo as leader of the Emei Sect and the secret was passed on to her. In the novel, she managed to gain possession of both weapons through her cunning and deception and she broke them, thereby obtaining the secret items hidden within them.
Analogy
In Chinese culture, the Dragon is the symbol of the ruler or emperor, which was probably why the Saber was featured to be of a gold-copper colour in many of the adaptations. The full translated name of the Saber is ‘The Dragon-Slaying Saber’ (屠龍刀), as such the name of the weapon implies that it is used to ‘slay the emperor’, which in this case, refers to the Mongolian ruler.
However, throughout Chinese history, several rulers have become tyrants, much like the mythical dragon getting out of control and killing innocents. The Heaven Sword’s full translated name is ‘The Heaven-Reliant Sword’ (倚天劍), and the Sword symbolises Heaven. In Chinese culture, the emperor is respectfully called ‘the Son of Heaven’ (天子), thus Heaven is the true and only authority in deciding who the ruler of China should be.
In other words, the secret within the Dragon-Slaying Saber can be used to "kill" (dethrone) the (Mongolian) ruler and replace him with another (Han Chinese) ruler, as a brilliant militarist can utilise the military book to its full potential and stage a successful rebellion to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty and restore Han Chinese rule. However, should the new emperor turn out to be a tyrant (which was indeed true after Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor), the secret within the Heaven-Reliant Sword can be used to destroy the tyrant (kill the tyrant physically with martial arts).
Characters
Protagonists
- Zhang Wuji (張無忌)
- Zhao Min (赵敏)
- Xiao Zhao (小昭)
- Xie Xun (谢逊)
- Zhang Sanfeng (張三丰)
Antagonists
- Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若)
- Cheng Kun (成昆)
- Mie Jue (灭绝)
- Song Qingshu (宋青書)
- Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋)
- Chen Youliang (陳友諒)
List of fictional organisations
Ming Cult
The Ming Cult is a mysterious religious sect which originated in Persia and was spread to Chinese soil. It was deemed to be an evil and unorthodox sect by several other sects for its weird practices and was better known as the ‘Mo Jiao’ (魔教), which means ‘Demonic Cult’. Its members rebelled against the ruling Yuan Dynasty. It houses the powerful martial arts ‘Holy Fire Tablet Skill’ (聖火令功) and the ‘Heaven and Earth Great Shift’ (乾坤大挪移).
See main article Manichaeism
Heavenly Eagle Cult
The Heavenly Eagle Cult was founded by Yin Tianzheng. It was said to be a branch of the Ming Cult, deemed as equally unorthodox and evil as the Ming Cult, although its members were righteous and upheld justice. It remerged with the Ming Cult when Zhang Wuji succeeded Yang Dingtian as leader of the Ming Cult.
Yuan Dynasty (元朝)
The Yuan Dynasty was founded in the thirteenth century by Kublai Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan and has since ruled over China for a long period of time. The rulers were Mongolians and they treated the common people who were predominantly Han Chinese under their rule very harshly. They faced strong hostility from the Han Chinese, which later accounted for the rebellion against them in the empire’s final years.
Wudang Sect (武当派)
The Wudang Sect was founded by Zhang Sanfeng, who was a former student of Jue Yuan from the Shaolin Sect. It was highly respected in the Wulin as its members were righteous and upheld justice. Its martial arts revolves around the ‘Tai Chi’ (太極), which includes Tai Chi Swordplay (太極劍) and Tai Chi Fist (太極拳).
Emei Sect (峨嵋派)
The Emei Sect was founded by Guo Xiang presumably around the same time of the founding of the Wudang Sect and when the Mongolians finally conquered China. Its members were all female and a regulation was laid down since its founding that its leader must be a nun. It was highly respected in the Wulin as its members were righteous and upheld justice. Besides, it was home to the ‘Heaven Sword’ (倚天劍), one of the two weapons mentioned in the novel’s title.
Shaolin Sect (少林派)
The Shaolin Sect was founded by Da Mo (達摩) during the Tang Dynasty. Its members were all Buddhist monks, but there were also other members who were not monks, known as 'su jia di zi' (俗家弟子). It was highly respected in the Wulin as its members were righteous and upheld justice. Its members practised martial arts only for improving their health and only for self-defence and upholding justice. It is hailed as the origin of all Chinese martial arts and said to house 72 most powerful forms of martial arts.
Adaptations
Films
| Year | Production | Zhang Wuji | Zhao Min | Zhou Zhiruo | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Omei Film Studios (Hong Kong) | Cantonese language. 2 episodes. Cheung Ying and Bai Yan played Zhang Wuji's parents. | |||
| 1965 | Omei Film Studios (Hong Kong) | Lam Ka Shing | Chan Ho Kau | Connie Chan | Cantonese language. 2 episodes. |
| 1967 | Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) | Cheung Yick | Cheng Pei-pei | Shu Peipei | 神劍震江湖 |
| 1976 | Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) | 五毒天羅. Starred Yue Hua, Lo Lieh and Jing Li | |||
| 1978 | Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) | Derek Yee | Jing Li | Candice Yu | |
| 1993 | 永盛電影公司 (Hong Kong) | Jet Li | Sharla Cheung | Gigi Lai | See Kung Fu Cult Master (倚天屠龍記之魔教教主). Directed by Wong Jing |
TV series
Due to the fact that the story features a young man choosing between several beautiful women, this story’s plot is often customised to showcase the talent of the new actor in each series who plays Zhang Wuji. Each of the TV series features a slightly different beginning and ending.
| Year | Production | Zhang Wuji | Zhao Min | Zhou Zhiruo | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | TVB (Hong Kong) | Adam Cheng | Liza Wang | Angie Chiu | See The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (1978 TV series) |
| 1984 | TTV (Taiwan) | Lau Tak Kai | Lau Yuk Pok | Yu Kexin | Producer Wong Tin-Lam. Lau Tak Kai simultaneously played Zhang Cuishan. |
| 1986 | TVB (Hong Kong) | Tony Leung | Kitty Lai | Sheren Tang | Simon Yam and Carol Cheng played Zhang Wuji's parents. |
| 1994 | TTV (Taiwan) | Steve Ma | Cecilia Yip | Kathy Chow | Steve Ma simultaneously played Zhang Cuishan. |
| 2000 | TVB (Hong Kong) | Lawrence Ng | Gigi Lai | Charmaine Sheh | Damian Lau and Michelle Yim played Zhang Wuji's parents. |
| 2003 | CCTV (Mainland China), TTV (Taiwan), Mediacorp (Singapore) | Alec Su | Alyssa Chia | Gao Yuanyuan | Although a different beginning is featured and Mongolians were featured more prominently, the main plot remains largely unaltered. This version is the first to depict the events in chronological order as opposed to the original novel which was in a revelatory style. Alec Su simultaneously played Zhang Cuishan. |
| 2009 | CCTV (Mainland China) | Deng Chao | Ady An | Liu Jing | Producer Zhang Jizhong |
Comics/Manhua
- Ma Wing Shing (馬榮成), the renowned author and illustrator of The Storm Riders, adapted the story. Louis Cha is credited as the writer while Ma Wing Shing handled the illustration work. In 2002, ComicsOne published an English translation. While the plot details remain intact, some of the story's events were presented out of order from the novel.
Video games
- An old-school RPG adaptation encompasses the entire story.
- In 2000, a newer adaptation was released by Softworld; however, the movie ends after the confrontation at Bright Peak.
- In 2004, SoftWorld released another adaptation. Instead of the traditional turn-based RPG, this version has a real-time battle system (similar to Diablo), and encompasses the entire story.
See also
External links
- (Chinese) Jin Yong Teahouse - fansite of Jin Yong's novels in Cinese
- (Chinese) Fei Hong Xue Ni - Jin Yong forums in Chinese
- (English) Tales of the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Slaying Saber - translation of the novel at Wuxiapedia.com
- (English) Yi Tian Tu Long Ji - fansite of the novel
- (English) TV adaptations - fansite
- (French) Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber - information about the 1978 film adaptation at the French Wikipedia
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