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The Legend of the Condor Heroes

The Legend of Condor Heroes (traditional Chinese: 射鵰英雄傳; simplified Chinese: 射雕英雄传; pinyin: shè diāo yīng xióng zhuàn) is one of the most acclaimed wuxia novels by Jinyong, first published in 1957 in Hong Kong Commercial Daily. This is the first novel of the Condor Trilogy. The title in Chinese literally translates as The Legend of the Eagle Shooting Heroes. (Condors are not native birds of China. The mistranslation occurs because the character 鵰 diāo refers to large-wingspan soaring birds in general such as condors, eagles, and vultures.[1]) Jinyong revised all of his novels including this one in the 1970s and again in the 2000s.

Chapters

There are 40 Chapters in the 2nd and 3rd editions of this work, each chapter has a four-character title:

  1. 風雪驚變 Incident in the Blizzard
  2. 江南七怪 Seven Freaks of the South
  3. 大漠風沙 The Winds of the Steppes
  4. 黑風雙煞 Dark Winds' Twin Killers
  5. 彎弓射鵰 Crooked Bow Shooting Condors
  6. 崖頂疑陣 Mysterious Happenings at the Cliff's Summit
  7. 比武招親 Joust for a Spouse
  8. 各顯神通 Each Demonstrating His Skill
  9. 鐵槍破犁 The Broken Spear
  10. 冤家聚頭 Gathering of the Foes
  11. 長春服輸 Changchun Admits Defeat
  12. 亢龍有悔 The Proud Dragon Repents
  13. 五湖廢人 The Crippled Person of Five Lake
  14. 桃花島主 The Lord of Peach Blossom Island
  15. 神龍擺尾 The Dragon sways its Tail
  16. 九陰真經 Arts of the Nine Negations
  17. 雙手互搏 Technique of Ambidexterity
  18. 三道試題 3 Test Questions
  19. 洪濤群鯊 Great Waves of Sharks
  20. 竄改經文 Doctoring the Scripture
  21. 千鈞巨岩 Heavy Weight of 1000 Jun Rock
  22. 騎鯊遨遊 Roaming with the Sharks
  23. 大鬧禁宮 Disturbing the Forbidden Palace
  24. 密室療傷 Healing in the Secret Room
  25. 荒村野店 Desolated Inn in the Village
  26. 新盟舊約 New Allies, Old Stipulations
  27. 軒轅台前 Pavilion's Platform
  28. 鐵掌峰頂 Peak of Mt. Iron Palm
  29. 黑沼隱女 The Lady Beyond Black Marsh Pit
  30. 一燈大師 Reverend Monk Yi Deng
  31. 鴛鴦錦帕 Mandarin Duck Handkerchief
  32. 湍江險灘 Dangerous Shore Beyond the Rushing River
  33. 來日大難 Upcoming Disaster
  34. 島上巨變 Radical Changes on the Island
  35. 鐵槍廟中 In the Temple of the Spear
  36. 大軍西征 The West Expedition
  37. 從天而降 Descending from the Sky
  38. 錦囊密令 Secret Order Within the Brocade
  39. 是非善惡 Distinguishing Good & Evil
  40. 華山論劍 Duel on Mount Hua

Summary

The story was set in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and at the beginning of the Nuzhen (Jurchen 女真) Invasion of northern China. The first part of the novel revolved around the friendship of two young village men, Yang Tiexin (楊鐵心) and Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) who became heroes in their own rights as they fought the invading Jin soldiers. The bond between the two was so deep that they swore to each other their unborn children would become either sworn brothers or sisters (if both were of same gender) or be married (if they were of different genders).

The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their sons following Guo Xiaotian's murder and Yang Tiexin's disappearance. Guo Jing (郭靖), Guo Xiaotian's son, grew up in Mongolia, under the protection of Genghis Khan. Yang Kang (楊康), on the other hand, grew up as a prince's son in the Jin Empire.

Sworn Brothers

Yang Tiexin(楊鐵心) and Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) were neighbours and sworn brothers. One day they meet the Taoist priest Qiu Chuji (丘處機) and invite him in from the cold to share some drinks together. During this visit, Qiu Chuji was pursued by some men whom Qiu quickly dispatch. Qiu Chuji strikes up a fast friendship with the two young men and presents each with a dagger and promises to return to transfer his skills to their sons.

Later that evening Yang Tiexin's (楊鐵心) wife Bao Xiruo (包惜弱) goes to hide what she thought was a corpse from the episode with Qiu. To her surprise the person was still alive. He claimed to be a person on business when he was struck by an arrow. Bao treats his wounds and he disappears in the morning. She never tells Yang Tiexin about this man.

Winter passes and Bao Xiruo (包惜弱) is now quite advanced in her pregnancy. One evening, Song soldiers led by Duan Tiande (段天德) arrived to arrest Yang and Guo as traitors. Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian resist but they are overmatched. Guo Xiaotian is killed but Yang Tiexin disappeared and is presumed dead. Bao Xirou (包惜弱) is captured by the Song troops but is rescued by the same man Bao Xirou rescued earlier (from the evening with Qiu). He turned out to be Wanyan Honglie ((完顏洪烈), the sixth prince of Jin. Due to her pregnancy, Bao Xirou decided to stay with Wanyan Honglie.

Guo Xiaotian's also pregnant wife Li Ping (李萍) was captured by Duan Tiande but was pursued by Qiu Chuji. Duan Tiande took refuge at the Cloud Pavilion Temple and was protected by his uncle, Kumu the Monk. The Monk summoned the Jiangnan Qi Guai (Seven Freaks) (江南七怪) to fight with Qiu Chuji. Qiu Chuji and the Seven Freaks injured each other gravely in a battle and Duan escapes taking Li Ping with him. Qiu (丘處機) and the Seven Freaks (江南七怪) decide to settle their differences in a competition devised by Qiu. Qiu would track down Yang's unborn son and teach him his martial arts. The Seven Freaks would do likewise with Guo's unborn. After eighteen years when the children are grown, they would compete against each other as a competition between Qiu and the Seven Freaks.

Li Ping eventually escapes Duan Tiande and gives birth to Guo Jing (郭靖). She and the infant Guo Jing are taken in by Mongolian nomads. While still a little boy growing up in Mongolia, Guo Jing saved a prominent Mongolian general, Jebe (哲別) from Genghis Khan. This event led to his subsequent tutelage under Jebe and his closeness with the Khan and his family. His childhood friend was Genghis' son, Tolui (拖雷) and daughter, Hua Zheng (華箏). Under Genghis Khan's patronage, Guo Jing would become one of his most trusted general and Hua Zheng's fiance, earning the title "Golden Knife Son-in-law". Later, Guo Jing became a disciple of Ke Zhen'e (柯鎮惡) and the rest of the Jiangnan Qi Guai.

Bao Xirou gave birth to a boy, Yang Kang（楊康). Yang Kang ,on the other hand, grew up in luxury and great comfort in the royal court of Jin. His step-father, Wanyan Honglie loved his mother very much, so much that the affections he had for the mother was also transferred to the son. Qiu Chuji subsequently managed to track down Bao Xiruo and Yang Kang and subsequently became Yang Kang's teacher and taught him the martial arts of Quan Zhen Sect (全真教).

Even though Qiu Chuji was a noble patriot, his tutelage of Yang Kang was driven by his selfish motivation to win the competition with the Seven Freaks. Kang grew up with decent martial arts skill but was a master at manipulation. Throughout the story, Yang Kang was constantly in conflict, having to choose between relationship with his loving step-father Wanyan Honglie (who indulged him with wealth and luxury) and his patriotism toward fellow Han Chinese. Ultimately, he would choose to remain loyal to Wanyan Honglie, and becomes one of the most empathetic antagonists in the entire trilogy (The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber).

"The Copper Corpse" and "The Iron Corpse" (銅屍鐵屍)

The Seven Freaks searched for six years for Guo Jing but to no avail. They stumble upon the six year old Guo Jing and were quite disappointed at his lack of intelligence. Nonetheless, they arrange to meet him at midnight to begin his tutelage. That Evening the Seven Freaks accidentally stumble upon the practice grounds of Mei Chaofeng (梅超風) "The Iron Corpse" (鐵屍) where she was practicing Nine Yin White Bone Claw (九陰白骨爪) on a human sacrifice. She was responsible for blinding Ke Zhen'e and murdering his older brother. The Seven Freaks knew they wouldn't be able to defeat both Copper Corpse (銅屍) and Iron Corpse (鐵屍) together so they decided to attack Mei Chaofeng while she was alone. The Seven Freaks were not able to penetrate her "Iron" body training but did succeed in blinding her with Ke Zhen'e's poison darts. Mei Chaofeng summoned her husband, Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風) "The Copper Corpse," (銅屍) for help. Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風) struck Zhang AnSheng, (Fifth Brother of the Seven Freaks) with a lethal hit with his Heart-Destroying Palm (摧心掌). Chen Xuanfeng grabbed a hold of little Guo Jing who was there to meet the Seven Freaks. During the battle with the freaks the Chen Xuanfeng had used a technique to make his body invincible to the attacks of the Seven Freaks but this left a nodal location vulnerable in his navel. The frightened Guo Jing instinctively took out his little dagger and stabbed Chen Xuanfeng in the navel and thus killed him. Zhang AnSheng died from the strikes he received from Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風).

Mei Chaofeng, who was blinded in that battle, swore to avenge her husband. Unable to recognize Guo Jing by sight, her only clue was the dagger and name on it: Yang Kang. When she tracked down her quarry, her subsequent attacks on Yang Kang led her to realize that she had the wrong boy. She subsequently became a master to Kang. Yang arranged the human sacrifices Mei needed to perfect her Bone Claw, and in exchange she taught him the basics of that technique. Despite the self-serving nature of each, they eventually developed a strong teacher-disciple bond over the years. All of this, of course, was done behind Qiu Chuji and Kang's parents' back, showing a glimpse of Yang's ability to deceive and willingness to break with tradition.

As the time neared for the duel, the Jiangnan Qi Guai sent Guo Jing on a journey to Song Country. In his wanderings, he met an impish young girl named Huang Rong. Guo Jing befriended her instantly, while Huang Rong was impressed by his open and honest nature. When it is revealed that she was the daughter of the eccentric (and oft reviled) martial arts master Huang Yaoshi, Guo Jing still stood by her.

The Contest for a Spouse

Unbeknownst to his family, Yang Tiexin actually survived Wanyan Honglie's massacre and was now traveling through the lands disguised as a martial arts performer by the name of Mu Yi (穆易). His adopted daughter, Mu Nianci (穆念慈), accompanied him. It was during one of their travels through Jin country that Mu Yi first met Guo Jing and his son (although he did not know it yet), Yang Kang (who was called Wanyan Kang, 完顏康, by that time).

Mu Yi wanted to marry his daughter off to whoever could defeat her in a martial arts contest. Yang Kang came upon the contest and decided to join, easily defeating Mu Nianci who was smitten by the handsome prince. However, he refused to marry her, taking her shoe with him as a souvenir. Guo Jing fought with Yang Kang to retrieve the shoe and the girl's honour. The result was the first explosive fight scene between the two.

The fight ended after Yang Kang's mother came to the scene, but Yang Kang still refused to return the shoe to Mu Nianci. Mu Yi immediately recognised Yang Kang's mother, his own wife, but did not reveal his identity.

Later, Yang Kang captured Mu Nianci and her father, whom he had accidentally hurt during the fight with Guo Jing. Bao Xiruo came to free them both, and Mu Yi went to visit her later that night to reveal his true identity to her. Yang Kang ran into them and his mother told him that Yang Tiexin was his true father, but he refused to believe it. It would crush the romantic feelings he was developing for Mu Nianci.

Wanyan Honglie found out about this meeting and Bao Xiruo's plan to flee with her old husband and chased them down with his army. He knelt in front of her and begged her to stay, but she refused. She wanted Yang Kang, who was making progress on accepting his true father, to come with them, but he stayed with his stepfather and both Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo committed suicide, as they had no hope of escaping the capital of Jin alive.

Following the death of Yang Kang's parents, Ke Zhen'e decided it would be best for Guo Jing to be raised by the upright Quanzhen Taoist sect (Qiu Chuji's school). However, Huang Rong wanted Guo Jing to follow her and see the rest of the world. On the day that Guo Jing was to be accepted into the sect, Huang Rong interrupted the proceedings with her martial-sister Mei Chaofeng in tow. The Jiangnan Qi Guai (except the blind leader) have little wish for Guo Jing to spend the rest of his life in Taoist contemplation, and surreptitiously motion for him to escape. With his teachers' tacit approval, Guo Jing followed Huang Rong out into the world.

The Greats

Huang Rong and Guo Jing wander the land, viewing sceneries and enjoying themselves. Guo Jing and Huang Rong then met the Northern Beggar Hong Qigong, leader of the beggar clan and one of the 5 Greats. Recognising Hong Qigong, Huang Rong managed to convince Hong Qigong to teach his 18 Dragon Subduing Palms to Guo Jing, by exchanging the skill of one style of the skill with one day of good food, cooked by Huang Rong. As Hong Qigong likes good food, he agreed to teach Guo Jing and taught Guo Jing 15 of the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms. Huang Rong and Guo Jing then go on to Lake Tai, meet with the 6 remaining freaks again, and expose a false Qiu Qianren. Wanyan Kang was captured by the people at Lake Tai, so Mei Chaofeng appears. She fights with Guo Jing, but the fight is ultimately interrupted by Huang Yaoshi, who was looking for Huang Rong. He does not like Guo Jing and wants to kill Guo Jing for the death of Mei Chaofeng's husband. Guo Jing promises to meet him on his island in one month's time, to prevent dragging the 6 Freaks into a fight with Huang Yaoshi.

Guo Jing and Wanyan Kang talk with Duan Tiande, who was captured along with Wanyan Kang, and find out the truth behind their parent's deaths, - Wanyan Honglie's plot. Duan Tiande is then killed by Wanyan Kang. They head off to kill Wanyan Honglie and now Wanyan Kang is Yang Kang. During their travels, Huang Rong and Guo Jing save a girl from Ouyang Ke. During the fight, Hong Qigong appears and officially takes the couple as his disciples. Guo Jing learns the remaining 3 stances of the Dragon Subduing Palms. Later, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Yang Kang find Wanyan Honglie, but in the end Yang Kang decides to be loyal to his adopted father, and Wanyan Honglie is able to secretly escape. Almost a month has passed, so Guo Jing and Huang Rong head to Peach Blossom Island.

When they arrive at the island, Huang Rong and Guo Jing separate. She wants to try to soften her father first. Guo Jing wanders and finds another of the Greats, Zhou Botong the Old Urchin, who lives in a cave on Peach Blossom Island. Despite their age difference, he convinces Guo Jing to become his sworn brother. Zhou Botong is playful and loves martial arts above all else. Zhou Botong is trapped in the cave by Huang Yaoshi as Huang Yaoshi blames him for the death of his wife, Feng Heng and wanted to kill him for revenge.

During his time in the cave, Zhou Botong has learned to separate his mind so that he can have his left hand fight his right. He wants Guo Jing to fight with him (as Guo Jing waits for Huang Rong to contact him) so it can be a four man fight. He teaches Guo Jing the Vacant Fist style, teaches him to fight as two different people by separating his mind, and tricks him into memorizing the entire Nine Yin Manual (which Guo Jing unknowingly obtained from Mei Chaofeng.)

Guo Jing receives a note from Huang Rong saying Ouyang Ke(Ouyang Feng's and his brother's wife's son) was betrothed to her by her father and is coming to visit with Ouyang Feng. Guo Jing finds his way there to interrupt their meeting. Hong Qigong appears to try to betroth Huang Rong to Guo Jing. Huang Yaoshi decides to let there be a contest between Ouyang Ke and Guo Jing to decide things. Guo Jing ends up winning (despite Huang Yaoshi's test favoring Ouyang Ke) and reveals he somehow knows the entire Nine Yin Manual by heart.

He is driven from the island with Zhou Botong and Hong Qigong with a leaking ship when Huang Yaoshi thinks that Guo Jing lied to him about giving Zhou Botong the second part of the Nine Yin Manual. The three are captured by Ouyang Feng and Ke, who wants to learn the Nine Yin Manual. Zhou Botong jumps in the ocean some time later after the capture, because Ouyang Feng wanted him to write out the Nine Yin Manual. Guo Jing eventually provides him with a fake Nine Yin Manual. Eventually, Hong Qigong and Huang Rong are stranded on an island with Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke, and Guo Jing floats onto the island a few days later. Ouyang Ke is tricked into a trap by Huang Rong, and his legs are crushed under the weight of a thousand-ton boulder. Eventually, the rest of the martial artists help to get him out under Ouyang Feng's command. Hong Qigong's martial arts are also destroyed in the process, and he passes on the Mastery of the Beggars' Sect to Huang Rong, along with the unbreakable Bamboo Dog-hitting Staff.

"INCOMPLETE"

General of the Mongolian Empire and The Path of the Hero

In their adventures, Guo Jing and Huang Rong wrestled a military textbook (Wu Mu Yi Shu), written by the late great Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, from the hand of Wanyan Honglie and his subordinates.This textbook contains invaluable military maneuvers and wisdom that Yue Fei used against his enemies before being framed and persecuted.

Returning to Mongol, Guo Jing joined Genghis Khan's expedition against the Persian army. With the help of Huang Rong, Guo Jing learned and applied the maneuvers and disciplines from the book to his troop. In time, he became one of Genghis Khan most trusted and undefeated general using superior military maneuvers from the textbooks. He captured the last Persian stronghold and captured Wanyan Honglie, ally of the Persian army, on site.

But soon, Genghis Khan ordered the killing of every citizen in the fallen city. Horrified, Guo Jing intervened and fell out of favor with his benefactor. Soon his mother was forced to commit suicide, after telling her son to remember his Song heritage. Fleeing from the Mongol army, he continue his search for his beloved, Huang Rong. On the journey to Mount Hua, he becomes one of the greatest martial artists in his time, and finally receive the blessing from Huang Yaoshi of his marriage with Huang Rong. After receiving a letter from Hua Zheng, he knows that the Mongolian forces has begun their invasion, and also the confession of her guilt of turning in Guo Jing and his mother. After receiving word that Genghis Khan is dying on Western Xia, Guo Jing returns to the warlord's side with Huang Rong and Tolui for his remaining days, and then asking his of what the word "hero" really means to him and how to be this noble character.

Return to China,Guo Jing and Huang Rong once again meet Mu Nianci, and discover that she has given birth to a son, whom she conceived with Yang Kang. Remembering his sworn brother's villainous past, Guo Jing hopes that the child would never be as cruel as his father, which is why he purposefully named the child Yang Guo (楊過), "Guo" (過 / 过) means "fault" in Chinese, and style name "Gaizhi" (改之 / 改之) means "correct it".

He would become one of the greatest heroes in the late Song Dynasty, dedicating his life to defend his countrymen againsting foreign threats, using his military knowledge and martial arts.

The story would continue in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Characters

Protagonists

  • Guo Jing (郭靖) - The son of Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping. Although he was somewhat dim-witted, he was honest to a fault and absolutely loyal. Possessed of a strong moral sense, his stubborn refusal to give up more than makes up for his slow learning process. He learned martial arts from the Seven Freaks of the South , as well as some of the internal methods of the Quanzhen sect. He was to learn the fearsomely powerful Xianglong Shiba Zhang, or the 18 Dragon-Subduing Palms, which was to boost his skill by a lot.
  • Huang Rong (黃蓉) - The daughter of the eccentric master of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師), she initially disguised herself as a little beggar and was befriended by Guo Jing. Clever, quick witted but also somewhat spoiled, Huang Rong falls for Guo Jing's honesty and righteousness. She learned martial arts and formations from her father.
  • Mu Nianci (穆念慈) - The foster daughter of Yang Tiexin, adopted while he was wandering in disguise as Mu Yi. Hong Qi Gong once taught her some martial arts, instantly making her a better martial artist than her foster father. She fell in love with Yang Kang.
  • Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) - Guo Jing's father and sworn brother of Yang Tiexin. He died in a plot hatched by Jin prince Wanyan Honglie.
  • Yang Tiexin (楊鐵心) - Yang Kang's father and sworn brother of Guo Xiaotian.
  • Bao Xiruo (包惜弱) - Yang Kang's mother and Yang Tiexin's wife. Believing that Yang Tiexin was dead, she agreed to marry Wanyan Honglie in order to ensure that Yang Kang would be born.
  • Li Ping (李萍) - Guo Jing's mother and Guo Xiaotian's wife. After Guo Xiaotian's death, she managed to flee and was rescued by Mongolian soldiers.
  • The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan (江南七怪) - also called the Seven Variants composed of Flying Bat Ke Zhen'e, Magic Hands Scholar Zhu Cong, Horse Deity Han Baoju, South Mountain Woodchopper Nan Xiren, Smiling Buddha Zhang Ahsheng, Hidden Hero of the Busy City Quan Jinfa, and Yue Sword Maiden Han Xiaoying. Due to a bet with Qiu Chuji, they searched for Guo Jing in Mongolia and when they found him, taught him martial arts.
  • Mu Yi (穆易) - Mu Yi is really Yang TieXin. Yang TieXin simply took the Yang Chinese character to split it into Mu and Yi and changed the Mu. 木易~穆易

Antagonists

  • Yang Kang (楊康) - The sworn brother of Guo Jing and a prince of Jin. He was the son of Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo. He is the epitome of the Chinese proverb, "Love the father who raised you over the father who sired you." Initially introduced as Wanyan Kang (before his biological father is revealed), he lives the spoiled life of a prince's son, his personality progressively darkened as the series went on, as he became obsessed with power, betraying family and friends and masters. He was the disciple of Quanzhen's Qiu Chuji, and secretly became the disciple of Mei Chaofeng. He met a tragic end when he tried to kill Huang Rong. Yang Kang struck the metal spikes on Huang Rong's protective vest, which had previously been indirectly poisoned by Ouyang Feng's snake venom. Ouyang Feng refused to save him as he discovered from Huang Rong that Yang Kang was his son's true killer. Unable to save Yang Kang and unable to persuade Ouyang Fang to save him, his step-father Wanyan Honglie, was forced to leave him for dead. His corpse was eventually consumed by wild crows, who also fell dead from the poison in his body. He fathered a son with Mu Nianci, named Yang Guo.
  • Ouyang Feng (歐陽鋒) -Father of Ouyang Ke and lord of White Camel Mtn. He goes by Western Poison, or Xi Du. One of the five great martial arts experts in the world, he has committed many heinous acts, including discrediting his "brother," Huang Yaoshi, by impersonating Huang Yaoshi and killing 5 of the 6 teachers of Guo Jing. This incurred Guo Jing's wrath. Guo Jing cut off ties with Huang Rong and set to kill Huang Yaoshi. Only did he learn that Huang Yaoshi wasn't the culprit did he realize his mistake at casting Huang Rong aside when he set off for revenge against her father. Ouyang Feng has coveted the Jiu Ying Zhen Jing (Martial Arts Scroll) since he was introduced into the story. He received tidbits from Guo Jing and Huang Rong. But to thwart his evil ambitious, Guo Jing and Huang Rong taught him martial arts movements that messed with Ouyang Feng's qi, driving Ouyang Feng insane.
  • Ouyang Ke (歐陽克) - The nephew and disciple of West Poison (Xi Du) Ouyang Feng. In truth, Ouyang Feng was his father, who had an affair with his sister-in-law. Infamous for abducting and raping many young women, Ouyang Ke desired a union with Huang Rong. He was killed by his friend, Yang Kang, who wanted to be the disciple of Ouyang Feng (who would pass his skills to only one disciple, which was Ouyang Ke at that time) and also because Ouyang Ke's lust for Mu Nianci.
  • Qiu Qianren (裘千仞) - The leader of Iron Palm Sect(鐵掌幫). He was unable to participate in the first tournament at Hua mountain, and thus was believed to be less powerful than the Greats. He took great exception to this, and was prideful of his skills. He was known for powerful Iron Palm and his qing gong skills (speed travelling), which was advanced enough to enable him to traverse over water, earning him the nickname of water-skimming (水上飄).
  • Qiu Qianzhang (裘千丈) - Qiu Qianren's elder twin brother. Because they look so much alike, he often pretended to be his brother. Qiu Qianzhang has almost no martial art skills and depended on his brother's reputation or trickery to cow his opponents. He was usually used for comic relief.
  • Wanyan Honglie (完顏洪烈)- Sixth prince of Jin and Yang Kang's foster father. Having fallen in love with Yang Kang's mother, he arranged for Dian Tiande's attack on the Guo and Yang families, so he could pose as a hero and "save" her. As the king's favorite son and a likely candidate to be the next Jin Emperor, he searched for Yue Fei's War Manual to consolidate his country's domination over the Southern Song and counter the threat of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. His love for Bao Xirou is also transferred onto Yang Kang, his adopted son.
  • Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風)- Husband of Mei Chaofeng and renegade disciple of East Heretic (Dong Xie) Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師). After deciding to elope with his younger apprentice sister and lover, Mei Chaofeng, they stole the second volume of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing manual. Unable to fully understand the theories therein, they used what they could decipher and adapted their own training methods, which became cruel and dark along with their personalities. He was called The Bronze Corpse (銅屍) and with his wife earned the nickname Twin Ghosts in Black Wind (黑風雙煞). He was killed rather accidentally by the young Guo Jing in Mongolia. His skin, tattooed with the writings of the manual, was flayed by his wife and preserved.
  • Mei Chaofeng (梅超风)- Wife of Chen Xuanfeng and renegade disciple of East Heretic (Dong Xie) Huang Yaoshi. She was blinded by Ke Zhen'e in a fight against the Jiangnan Freaks, and secretly became the teacher of Yang Kang. She was called The Iron Corpse (鐵屍) and with her husband earned the nickname The Two Ghosts in Black Wind (Heifeng Shuang Sha, 黑風雙煞). Despite the fact that she and her husband referred to each other in impolite terms, only her love of her husband could trump her devotion to her teacher. She eventually proved her devotion to her teacher, Huang Yaoshi, when she sacrificed her life for his blocking a surprise attack from Ouyang Feng.

The Five Greats

The Five Greats (Chinese: 天下五絕; pinyin: tian xia wu jue), or the five most skilled and powerful martial arts masters of Jin Yong's wulin during Guo Jing's time were: 東邪 西毒 南帝 北丐 中神通

  • Wang Chongyang (王重陽) - Known as Zhong Shen Tong (中神通) or Central Divinity. Before he founded his Taoist school of martial arts, Quan Zhen Sect, he fought for his country against the Jurchens. He won the martial arts tournament on the mountain Hua Shan (華山論劍) and was thus crowned the most powerful of the five. The prize was the sacred book, Scripture of Jiu Yin (九陰真經 Jiu Yin Zhen Jing). Before his death, he split the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing into two volumes: the first dealing with internal energy cultivation, the second dealing with techniques to use that internal energy. If the book were to fall in the wrong hands, it could spell disaster, and Wang Chongyang contemplated destroying the manual before he died. Instead, he decided to direct his apprentice brother, Zhou Botong (周伯通) to find two places to hide the volumes, preserving it for future generations. Knowing that Ouyang Feng desired the book, Wang Chongyang faked his own death. When Ouyang Feng attempted to steal the book, Wang Chongyang managed to strike with surprise, severely injuring and driving Ouyang Feng away. Wang Chongyang died shortly after.
  • Huang Yaoshi (黄藥師) - Known as Dong Xie (東邪) or East Heretic/East Evil. His name means "Medicine Master Huang"; nicknamed "Huang Lao Xie" (黃老邪 "Old Strange Huang"). Labeled an eccentric, he did as he pleased and refused to abide by the rules and tradition that governed the world of (江湖 Jiang Hu) martial arts at the time. This accounted for the fact that almost his complete martial arts repertoire was created by himself, especially his renowned technique the Divine Finger Thrust. He was the master of Peach Blossom Island and at one time had seven disciples. He could usually be seen with his jade flute which, when imbued with his prodigious internal energy, could drive a person to madness. His wife tricked Zhou Botong (周伯通) into allowing her to read the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, and her prodigious intellect allowed her to copy the work for her husband verbatim. Two of his disciples, Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng secretly fell in love with each other and eloped, thinking that Huang Yao Shi would never approve of their relationship. They managed to steal the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing when they left. Huang Yaoshi's wife tried to scribe the volume out of memory again while she was pregnant. Weakened by the strain, she died during childbirth, giving birth to Huang Rong. Guilt over his wife's death prompted him to study medicine (hence the name Yaoshi) in an attempt to resurrect her, and also left Huang Yaoshi with a blind rage against those who would study the book that killed his wife. He is a honorable man and when he wants an answer he asks it directly for example when Huang Rong and Huang YaoShi met Hua Jen (華箏), Guo Jing's not-yet-wedded wife, he walked up to Guo Jing looked him in the eye and said," Guo Jing, tell this Mongolian girl that you want to marry my daughter and you will never see Hua Jen again. If you say otherwise, I will kill you if you go anywhere near my daughter."
  • Ouyang Feng (歐陽鋒) - Known as Xi Du (西毒) or West Poison. His obsession with the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing blinded him and darkened his personality. Known for his Toad stance and serpent staff, both of which could deliver crippling or even lethal poison. His disciple and "nephew" Ouyang Ke was actually his illegitimate son, the result of a liaison with his sister-in-law. After seizing a slightly changed copy of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing from Guo Jing, Ouyang Feng began his corrupted training. Despite the improper channeling of his qi, Ouyang Feng's skills were so great he was able to wrench the incomplete teachings into the power he desired; as a side effect, instead of the death any normal person would have earned, he "merely" goes insane. At the end of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, no one could match his martial arts, from Huang Yaoshi or Hong Qi Gong to the rising star Guo Jing. Finally, he was tricked by Huang Rong into seeking the martial artist she claimed he could never defeat. And so he ran off, never realizing that this "Ouyang Feng" she spoke of was himself.
  • Duan Zhixing (段智興) - Known as Nan Di (南帝) or South Emperor. He was the ruler of Dali, an independent country in southern China. Famous for his Yi Yang Finger, which had both medical and combat applications. He had four disciples, all of whom were once government officials of Dali, and afterwards were known as the Fisherman, the Woodman, the Farmer, and the Scholar. Guilt over the death of Zhou Botong (周伯通)'s illegitimate child led him to renounce his throne and become a Buddhist monk, and he lived secluded in a mountain monastery with an Indian monk who was known for his ability to treat poison.
  • Hong Qigong (洪七公) - Known as Bei Gai (北丐) or North Beggar. He was the eighteenth leader of the Beggars' Sect and loved gourmet food and wine. Known for his Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang (降龍十八掌 “The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms”), his Dog Beating Stick techniques (打狗棒法). He severed his right index finger out of guilt when his love of food caused him to fail a mission. This as well as his formidable martial arts prowess earned him the name The Nine-Fingered Beggar Master or Jiu Zhi Shen Gai (九指神丐). Hong Qigong seemed to prefer to teach a few moves where needed (cf. Mu Nianci) as opposed to taking on disciples. Huang Rong used Hong Qigong's love of good food against him, forcing him to choose between the food and accepting herself and Guo Jing as his disciples. Naturally, he soon had two official disciples. Later, he made Huang Rong the 19th chief of the beggar sect.

Adaptations

Most of Jinyong's work has been translated into many other media including The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

TV Series

Year Production Guo Jing Huang Rong Country More information
1976 Commercial Television Wong Man Biu Michelle Mei Suet Hong Kong Wong Man Biu reprised his role as Guo Jing in the 1995 TVB version of The Return of the Condor Heroes
1983 TVB Felix Wong Barbara Yung Hong Kong Miu Kiu Wai and Sharon Yeung Pan Pan play Yang Kang and Mu Nianci. See TVB Production
1988 CTV / ATV Howie Wong Idy Chan Taiwan Idy Chan previous played Xiaolongnü along with Andy Lau as Yang Guo on Hong Kong's TVB Production of The Return of the Condor Heroes.
1994 TVB Julian Cheung Athena Chu Hong Kong Gallen Lo and Emily Kwan starred as Yang Kang and Mu Nianci.
2003 CCTV Li Yapeng Zhou Xun China Produced by the acclaimed producer Zhang Jizhong with Zhou Jie and Shui Ling playing the roles Yang Kang and Mu Nianci respectively. Zhou Jie and Shui Ling previously worked together on 還珠格格3 television series, and Li Yapeng previously worked with Shui Ling on the television series 柯蓝探长.

Ba Yin (巴音), who played Jebe, would play Jinlun Guoshi on The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006), and playing Genghis Khan on The Legend of Condor Heroes (2007).
2007 Hu Ge Ariel Lin China Hu Ge was involved in the car accident during late September while Ariel is currently filming It Started With A Kiss 2 so it is currently unknown when filming will resume.
  • The 2003 adaptation was broadcast in Singapore on MediaCorp TV Channel U under the English title Legend of the Arching Hero although the Chinese title remained unchanged.

Movies

Comics

  • In 1998, Ming Ho (明河社) (Charm Max) published a 38 volume for Hong Kong illustrated by Li Zhi Qing. This was published in Indonesia by MNC Comics in 2000.

Video Games

  • Many of Jin Yong's Wuxia novels have been adapted into video games. The Legend of Condor Heroes have been adapted into numerous role-playing games for computers and one (named Shachou Eiyuuden: The Eagle Shooting Heroes, developed by SCEI) for Playstation.

Non-Canonical Followings

There are two previously unpublished drafts related to the novel written by the author, The Rise of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄前傳), which supposedly a prequel and The Fall of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄後傳) supposedly a finale. However, they are consider non-canonicals despite written by the author himself, as on The Fall of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄後傳) by Jinyong, that he originally depicts Guo Jing and his wife retreats to Peach Blossem Island after the city was conquered and the Southern Song Dynasty beginning its fall and Ouyang Feng (歐陽鋒) depicted as a Mongolian ally. Elements of this non-canonical story later used on canonical The Return of the Condor Heroes and Heavenly Sword & Dragon Saber. In 2000s, both drafts have been published.

References

  1. ^ 大型猛禽。日间活动的大猛禽(鹰科)力大身大,形态优美,视力敏锐,飞行力强。也叫“鹫”

See also

External links


Jin Yong's wuxia novels
The Book and the Sword (1955) 書劍恩仇錄
Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1956) 碧血劍
The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1957) 射鵰英雄傳
The Return of the Condor Heroes (1959) 神鵰俠侶
Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1959) 雪山飛狐
Other Tales of the Flying Fox (1960) 飛狐外傳
Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse (1961) 白馬嘯西風
Blade-dance of the Two Lovers (1961) 鴛鴦刀
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (1961) 倚天屠龍記
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1963) 天龍八部
A Deadly Secret (1963) 連城訣
Ode to Gallantry (1963) 俠客行
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1967) 笑傲江湖
The Deer and the Cauldron (1969) 鹿鼎記
Sword of the Yue Maiden (1970) 越女劍

wuu:射雕英雄传


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