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The Legend of the Condor Heroes

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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 a wuxia novel by Jinyong, first published in 1957 in Hong Kong Commercial Daily. This is the first novel of the Condor Trilogy. The title in Chinese could be roughly translated to The Legend of the Eagle Shooting Heroes. Jinyong revised all of his novels including this one in 1970s, and again in 2000s.

Chapters

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

  1. 风雪惊变 Incident in the Blizzard
  2. 江南七怪 Seven Freaks of the South
  3. 大漠风沙 The Winds of the Steppes
  4. 黑风双煞 Dark Winds' Twin Killers
  5. 弯弓射雕 Crooked Bow Shooting Condors
  6. 崖顶疑阵 Mysterious Happenings at the Cliff's Summit
  7. 比武招亲 Joust for a Spouse
  8. 各显神通 Each Demonstrating His Skill
  9. 铁枪破犁 The Broken Spear
  10. 冤家聚头 Gathering of the Foes
  11. 长春服输 Changchun Admits Defeat
  12. 亢龙有悔 The Proud Dragon Repents
  13. 五湖废人 The Crippled
  14. 桃花岛主 The Lord of Peach Blossom Island
  15. 神龙摆尾 The Dragon sways its Tail
  16. 九阴真经 Arts of the Nine Negations
  17. 双手互搏 Technique of Ambidexterity
  18. 三道试题 3 Test Questions
  19. 洪涛群鲨 Great Waves of Sharks
  20. 窜改经文 Doctoring the Scripture
  21. 千钧巨岩 Heavy Weight of 1000 Jun Rock
  22. 骑鲨遨游 Roaming with the Sharks
  23. 大闹禁宫 Disturbing the Forbidden Palace
  24. 密室疗伤 Healing in the Secret Room
  25. 荒村野店 Desolated Inn in the Village
  26. 新盟旧约 New Allies, Old Stipulations
  27. 轩辕台前 Pavilion's Platform
  28. 铁掌峰顶 Peak of Mt. Iron Palm
  29. 黑沼隐女 The Lady Beyond Black Marsh Pit
  30. 一灯大师 Reverend Monk Yi Deng
  31. 鸯鸳锦帕 Mandarin Duck Handkerchief
  32. 湍江险滩 Dangerous Shore Beyond the Rushing River
  33. 来日大难 Upcoming Disaster
  34. 岛上巨变 Radical Changes on the Island
  35. 铁枪庙中 In the Temple of the Spear
  36. 大军西征 The West Expedition
  37. 从天而降 Descending from the Sky
  38. 锦囊密令 Secret Order Within the Brocade
  39. 是非善恶 Distinguishing Good & Evil
  40. 华山论剑 Duel on Mount Hua

Summary

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

The second part of the story focused more on the trials and tribulations that both of their sons underwent. Guo Jing (郭靖), Guo Xiao Tian'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 in the Jin Empire.

Brotherly Bond

Yang Tiexin married Bao Xiruo (包惜弱) while Guo Xiaotian settled down with Li Ping (李萍). When the Jin soldiers invaded Northern Song, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian joined the citizens and fought them. Wanyan Honglie (完顏洪烈), a prince of Jin, happened upon Yang Tiexin's wife, Bao Xiruo. Enchanted by her beauty, Wanyan Honglie murdered her whole family and took her with him back to his kingdom. Bao Xiruo was deceived into believing that her husband was dead and that Wanyan Honglie was her savior. In her gratitude, she agreed to marry him but she did not live with him in the palace, choosing instead to live alone in a simple cottage. Her son, Yang Kang grew up in the palace and was treated by Wanyan Honglie like his own flesh and blood.

Meanwhile, after the death of her husband, Guo Xiaotian, Li Ping was rescued by Mongolian soldiers and brought to their country. Thus, in the harsh deserts of Mongolia, Guo Xiao Tian's son, Guo Jing was born and raised.

"Jingkang"

Before the death of Guo Xiaotian at the hands of government officials (led by a general, Duan Tiande 段天德), he and Yang Tiexin met a Taoist, Qiu Chuji (丘處機) who helped them name their two sons. Jingkang (靖康) was the era name of Emperor Qinzong, who was abducted, along with his father, by the invading Jin soldiers in 1127, ending the Northern Song Dynasty. Qiu Chuji wanted the children to remember this national embarrassment (靖康之耻), and hopefully help restore glory to their country and defeat the Jin when they grow up. The name was also symbolic of Guo and Yang's patriotism.

Sworn Brothers

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 (托雷) and daughter, Hua Zheng (華箏). Later, Guo Jing became a disciple of Ke Zhen'e (柯鎮惡) of Jiangnan 7 Guai (江南七怪).

Yang Kang, on the other hand, grew up in luxury and great comfort in the royal court of Jin. His foster father, Wanyan Honglie loved his mother very much, so much that the affections he had for the mother was also transferred to the son. Yang Kang's teacher was the Taoist Qiu Chuji who taught him the martial arts of Quan Zhen Sect (全真教).

Unknown to both, Jiangnan 7 Guai leader, Ke Zhen'e had previously made a bet with Qiu Chuji that they would teach both boys martial arts and let them duel upon reaching the age of eighteen.

Even though Qiu Chuji was a noble patriot, his tutelage of Yang Kang was motivated by competitiveness to win the bet. Yang grew up with decent martial arts skill but with a mastery at cunningness, being raised by Wanyan Honglie. His addiction for wealth and world domination made him one of the smartest villains in the trilogy (The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber).

"The Copper Corpse" and "The Iron Corpse"

On the night the six-year-old Guo Jing became Jiangnan 7 Guai's disciple, Mei Chaofeng (梅超風) "The Iron Corpse," was seen practicing Nine Yin White Bone Claw (九陰白骨爪). She had previously blinded Ke Zhen'e and murdered his older brother. As Jiangnan 7 Guai had a serious fight with her, she summoned her husband, Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風) "The Copper Corpse," to support her. Chen Xuanfeng gave Zhang A'Sheng, one of the Jiangnan 7 Guai, a lethal hit with Heart-Destroying Palm (摧心掌). He held up the little Guo Jing, trying to threaten the Jiangnan 7 Guai, but the frightened Guo Jing took out the dagger carved with Yang Kang's name, stabbed Chen Xuanfeng in the navel and killed him.

Mei Chaofeng, who was blinded in that battle, attempted to avenge her husband. Her subsequent attacks on Yang Kang led her to realize that she had the wrong boy. She subsequently became a quasi-master to Yang, teaching him the deadly Lunar Claw. Yang arranged the human sacrifices needed for Mei to perfect her Lunar claw. Although they both started their relationship on false pretenses, they eventually developed a strong teacher-disciple bond over the years. All of this, of course, was done behind Qiu and Yang's parents' back, showing a glimpse of Yang's ability to deceive and barter.

The Contest for a Spouse

Unknown 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 won at a martial arts contest against her. Yang Kang came upon the contest and deciding to join, he defeated Mu Nianci but 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 an explosive fight scene between the 2. However, the contest resulted in Mu Nianci's love towards Yang Kang.

The fight only ended after Yang Kang's mother came to the scene, and 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 imprisoned Mu Yi and Mu Nianci to heal Mu Yi, whom he accidentally hurt during the fight with Guo Jing. Bao Xiruo came to free them both, and Mu Yi went to visit her later on 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 didn't want to believe it.

Wanyan Honglie found out about this meeting and Bao Xiruo's plans to flee together 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 and fell in love with Mu Nianci to come with them, but he stayed with his stepfather and both Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo committed suicide, as they had no hope to escape from the capital of Jin alive.

The storyline is incomplete. Please feel free to contribute.

Characters

Protagonists

  • Guo Jing (郭靖) - the hero in the story. He is the son of Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping. Although he is slow witted, he is guileless and true.
  • Huang Rong (黄蓉) - the love interest of Guo Jing in the story. A daughter of the eccentric Island Master Huang Yaoshi, she disguises herself as a little beggar and follows Guo Jing around. Clever and quick witted, Huang Rong falls for Guo Jing's honesty and righteousness.
  • Mu Nianci (穆念慈) - the love interest of Yang Kang. She is the foster daughter of Yang Tiexin, Yang Kang's father. Hong Qi Gong taught her some martial arts.
  • Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) - Guo Jing's father who died under the hands of Jin prince Wanyan Honglie.
  • Yang Tiexin (楊鐵心) - Yang Kang's father and the sworn brother of Guo Xiaotian.
  • Bao Xirou (包惜弱) - Yang Kang's mother. She thought that Yang Tiexin was dead and so agreed to marry Wanyan Honglie in order to assure that Yang Kang would be born.
  • Li Ping (李萍) - Guo Jing's mother and Guo Xiaotian's wife. After Guo Xiao Tian'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.

Antagonists

As is usual for Jin Yong, the villains of this story have entirely defensible motivations.

  • Yang Kang - the sworn brother of Guo Jing and a prince of Jin. He is the son of Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo. Initially only an indulged prince, his personality darkens through the series as he becomes obsessed with power, betraying friends and his masters. He is the disciple of Quanzhen's Qiu Chuji and the secret apprentice of Mei Chaofeng. He is the epitome of the Chinese proverb, "Love the father who raised you over the father who sired you." He meets a tragic end when he tries to kill Huang Rong. Yang Kang hits the metal spikes on Huang Rong's protection vest, which had been indirectly poisoned by Ouyang Feng's snake venom. Ouyang Feng refused to save him because he found out from Huang Rong that he was his son's true killer. He was left for dead by his foster father, Wanyan Honglie. His corpse is eventually consumed by wild crows.
  • Ouyang Ke - the nephew and disciple of West Poison (Xi Du) Ouyang Feng. He is unaware that his true father is Ouyang Feng, who had an affair with his sister-in-law. Known for abducting and raping of many young women, he falls in love with Huang Rong. He is later 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 of Ouyang Ke's lust towards Mu Nianci. His misogeny was fostered by his teacher Ouyang Feng.
  • Qiu Qianren - the leader of Iron Palm Sect. He is considered to be just below the five Greats that were determined at the first tournament. He is known for Iron Palm and his qing gong skills (speed travelling), which enable him to transverse over water (which earns him the nickname of water-skimming (水上飘).
  • Qiu Qianzhang - is Qiu Qianren's elder twin brother. Because they look extremely alike, he often at times pretended to be his brother. Qiu Qianren has almost no martial art skills and often resorts to trickery. He is usually there for comic relief but nearly dies when he accidentally enters the forbidden cave of the Iron Palm Sect.
  • Wanyan Honglie - is a prince of Jin and Yang Kang's foster father. In love with Yang Kang's mother, he arranges for the attack on the Guo and Yang families, so he can pose as a hero and 'save' her. A likely candidate to be the next Jin Emperor, he searches for Yue Fei's War Manual to consolidate his country's domination over the Southern Song. His love for Bao Xirou is also transferred onto Yang Kang, a Song.
  • Chen Xuanfeng - is a disciple of Island Master (Dong Xie) Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師). After deciding to elope with his younger apprentice sister and lover, Mei Chaofeng, they steal the second volume of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing manual. Unable to understand the theories in the volume because of the missing 1st volume, they resorted to using their own training methods, which became cruel and dark along with their personalities. He is accidentally killed by the young Guo Jing in Mongolia and his back, tattooed with the writings of the manual, was flayed by his wife and preserved. His nickname is The Bronze Corpse (銅屍) and, together with his wife, they are called Twin Ghosts in Black Wind (黑風雙煞).
  • Mei Chaofeng - renegade disciple of Huang Yaoshi who escapes with Chen Xuanfeng. She was blinded by Ke Zhen'e in her first appearance in the story. Her nickname is The Iron Corpse (tieshi, 鐵屍) and, together with her husband, they are called The Two Ghosts in Black Wind (Heifeng Shuang Sha, 黑風雙煞). Later becomes teacher of Yang Kang. Despite the fact that she and her husband refer to each other in derogatory manner, only her love of her husband can trump her devotion to her teacher. It was this love that prompted her to seek revenge against Guo Jing and the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. She eventually proves her devotion to her teacher, Huang Yaoshi, when she sacrifices her life to save his.

The Five Greats

The Five Greats (tianxia Wu jue, 天下五絕) , or the five most skilled and powerful martial arts masters of Jin Yong's wulin during Guo Jing's time are:

  • Wang Chongyang - is known as Zhong Shen Tong or the Central Divinity. He was the most powerful of the five and organized and won the martial arts tournament (Luen Jian) on the mountain Hua Shan. The prize was the sacred book, Scripture of Jiu Yin (Jiu Yin Zhen Jing). Before he founded the Taoist school of martial arts, Quan Zhen Sect, he fought for his country against the Mongolians. 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 enabled by that internal energy. Faking his death, he tricked Ou Yang Feng into attempting to steal the book and managed to severely injure and drive him away before finally dying. He contemplated destroying the manual but decided to direct his apprentice brother, Zhou Botong to find two places to hide the volumes, preserving it for future generations.
  • Huang Yaoshi - is known as East Heretic, or East Evil (Dong Xie). His name means "Medicine Master", also called "Huang Lao Xie" ("Old Strange Huang"). Labeled as an eccentric, he does as he pleases and doesn't abide to the rules and tradition that governed the world of Jiang Hu (Martial Arts) at the time. He is also referred to as "Master of the Peach Island". He is usually seen with his jade flute, which when imbued with internal energy, can drive a person to madness. His wife tricks Zhou Botong into allowing her to read the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, which she copies for her husband verbatim. Two of his disciples, Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng secretly fell in love with each other. They eloped, thinking that Huang Yao Shi would never approve of their relationship. They stole this second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing when they left. Huang Yao Shi's wife tried to recopy the volume out of memory while she was pregnant with their daughter. She dies 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.
  • Ouyang Feng(欧阳锋） - is known as West Poison （西毒 Xi Du). His obsession with the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing blinded him and darkened his personality. Known for his Toad stance and serpent staff, which contains a very deadly toxin. Ou Yang Ke, his nephew, is believed to be his illegitimate son, the result of a liaison with his sister-in-law. In the end of Legend Of The Condor Heroes he lost his memories when wrongly using his qi as a result of Huang Rong tricks him. He goes off trying to kill someone named "Ouyang Feng" who is himself.
  • Duan Zhixing（段智兴） - is known as South Emperor (南帝 Nan Di). He is a powerful emperor of Dali, an independent country in southern China before becoming a Buddhist monk. Famous for his Yi Yang Finger, which has both medical and combat applications. He has four disciples and lives secluded in a mountain monastery with an Indian monk, known for his ability to treat poison. Guilt over the death of Zhou Botong's illegiminate child leads him to renounce his throne and become a monk.
  • Hong Qigong（洪七公） - is known as the North Beggar (Bei Gai). He is the eighteenth leader of Beggar Sect (Gai Bang) and a lover of exotic food and wine. Known for his Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang (降龙十八掌 “The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms”), his 36 dog-beating stick techniques. 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). Huang Rong uses his gluttony to make Guo Jing and herself Hong Qi Gong's disciples.

Adaptations

Most of Jinyong's work has been translated into many other media. Legend of Condor Heroes is no exception.

TV Series

As one might expect, there are several TV versions of this story.

Movies

  • The movie Ashes of Time (1994) directed by internationally acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai depicted events that appeared before this novel. Beautifully stylish, this almost surreal post-modern film is very slow and mysteriously difficult to follow but worth watching for its gorgeous images. The story revolves around Eastern Heretic, West Poison, and Northern Beggar and their complicated relationships with each other. It also explains the origins of Dugu Qiubai, how Northern Beggar lost his finger.

CAST: Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Brigitte Lin, Jacky Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau; CREW: Kar-Wai Wong- Director, Sammo Hung- Action Director/Arranger, Christopher Doyle- Director of Photography, Frankie Chan- Composer

  • A 1993 movie called The Eagle Shooting Heroes, a parody of Louis Cha's novel (The Eagle Shooting Heroes is the literal translation of the novel). The story begins with the Queen of Golden Wheel Kingdom having an affair with her cousin West Poison; they plan to take over the Kingdom. The 3rd Princess discovers their treason, but she is defeated by West Poison. She flees and seeks her master's help. He tells her of a powerful secret martial arts manual hidden in the mountains and tells her by retrieving the manual and learning it she would be able to defeat West Poison. Things get complicated along the way when West Poison beats her to it and steals the secret manual. She soon gathers an alliance to challenge West Poison's exponentially increased new power.

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.
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