The Legend of Condor Heroes (simplified Chinese: 射雕英雄传; traditional Chinese: 射鵰英雄傳; pinyin: shè diāo yīng xióng zhuàn; Jyutping: se6 diu1 jing1 hung4 zyun6) is one of the most acclaimed Wuxia novels by Jin Yong[1]. It was first serialized in 1957 in Hong Kong Commercial Daily. This is the first part of the Condor Trilogy. Jin Yong revised all of his novels including this one in the 1970s and again in the 2000s.
Plot
The story is set in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and at the beginning of the Jin invasion of northern China. The first part of the novel revolves around the friendship of two young men, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, who become heroes in their own right as they fight the invading Jin soldiers. The bond between the duo is so strong that they pledge to each other that their unborn children will become either sworn brothers (if both are of the same sex) or be married (if they are of opposite sexes).
The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their sons following Guo Xiaotian's death and Yang Tiexin's disappearance. Guo Jing, Guo Xiaotian's son, grows up in Mongolia under the care of Genghis Khan. Yang Kang, on the other hand, grows up in the Jin Empire as the foster son of Prince Wanyan Honglie. Guo is mentored by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" in martial arts but he is a slow learner and only manages to master part of the skills he is taught. Yang is mentored by Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen Sect.
The boys' personalities are complete opposites of each other due to the differences in how they are raised. Guo Jing is honest, loyal and righteous but lacks intelligence. Conversely, Yang Kang is clever, but scheming and treacherous. The pair eventually meet one another and their respective lovers Huang Rong and Mu Nianci. The main plot follows Guo Jing and Huang Rong's adventures together and their encounters with the Five Greats. Meanwhile, Yang Kang plots with Wanyan Honglie to destroy his native empire of Song. Yang Kang refuses to acknowledge his ethnicity and is strongly driven to acquire wealth, fame and glory. His treachery is slowly unveiled throughout the novel through the encounters he has with Guo Jing and Huang Rong.
Assisted by Guo Jing, the Mongolian military destroys the Jin Empire, subsequently turning its attention towards the Song Empire. Guo Jing is unwilling to aid Mongolia further to conquer his native homeland of Song and so decides to leave Mongolia in favor of helping his fellow Song countrymen counter the Mongolian invasion, described in the novel's sequel. Yang Kang meets his retributive end, leaving behind Mu Nianci and their unborn son Yang Guo, who becomes the protagonist of the next book in the series.
Characters
- Guo Jing (郭靖) – the son of Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping. He is born in Mongolia under the care and protection of Genghis Khan. He learns martial arts from many teachers, including "The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", Ma Yu of the Quanzhen Sect, Hong Qigong and Zhou Botong. Although being dim-witted, he possesses a strong moral sense and patriotism towards his nationality. Through his adventures and many encounters he becomes one of the greatest martial artists and heroes of his time, worthy of comparison with the Five Greats.
- Huang Rong (黃蓉) – the daughter of the Huang Yaoshi and Feng Heng. She meets Guo Jing by chance and they together they go on adventures. During this period, they gradually fall in love and are eventually married. Huang Rong is formally accepted as a disciple of Hong Qigong and later succeeds Hong as chief of the Beggars' Sect. She is intelligent and tactful, specializing in several other fields besides martial arts just like her father. Although her martial arts abilities are not as powerful as Guo Jing, she also becomes an accomplished martial artist by the novel's end.
- Yang Kang (楊康) – the son of Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo. He is raised in Jin as the son of the sixth prince Wanyan Honglie and is also known as Wanyan Kang (完顏康). He is a disciple of Qiu Chuji but also acknowledges Mei Chaofeng as his teacher as well. He is treacherous and manipulative, lusting for power and wealth to the extent that he even refuses to acknowledge his biological father Yang Tiexin. As such, he is labelled a traitor to his own people for acknowledging Wanyan Honglie as his father, the man responsible for the deaths of his parents. His evil ways are eventually met with retribution after he is poisoned in the Temple of the Iron Spear. After his death, his corpse is devoured by crows and his skeleton is later buried by Guo Jing.
- Mu Nianci (穆念慈) – the foster daughter of Yang Tiexin, who is known as "Mu Yi" after his apparent death. She meets Yang Kang during a martial arts contest to find a spouse and falls in love with him. However, after witnessing his repeated acts of villainy and treachery, she abandons him and vows to never see him again. In hiding she gives birth to Yang Kang's child, who is named Yang Guo by Guo Jing.
Adaptations
Films
| Year |
Production |
Guo Jing |
Huang Rong |
Additional information |
| 1958 |
Omei Film Studios (Hong Kong) |
Cho Tat Wah |
Yung Siu Yi |
Cantonese language. 2 episodes. |
| 1977 |
Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) |
Alexander Fu Sheng |
Tanny Tien |
See The Brave Archer |
| 1978 |
Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) |
Alexander Fu Sheng |
Niu Niu |
Entitled The Brave Archer II |
| 1981 |
Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) |
Alexander Fu Sheng |
Niu Niu |
Entitled The Brave Archer III |
| 1993 |
學者電影公司 (Hong Kong) |
|
|
See The Eagle Shooting Heroes. A parody loosely based on the novel. Directed by Jeffrey Lau, starring Jacky Cheung, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Carina Lau and Kenny Bee. |
| 1994 |
學者電影公司 (Hong Kong) |
|
|
See Ashes of Time. Loosely based on the novel. Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, starring Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Jacky Cheung and Carina Lau. |
TV Series
Comics
- In 1998, Hong Kong's Ming Ho (明河社) (Charm Max) published a 38 volume comic series 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.
See also
References
External links
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