“Return of the Condor Heroes” is the second novel of the Condor Trilogy. For reference, we will frequently cite examples from one of the most beloved books, “Sheng Diao Xia Lu” (“Return of the Condor Heroes”), by arguably the most famous Wuxia author, Jin Yong. Having now, in brief, outlined the evolution of the Wuxia genre, we will turn our attention to the structure and characteristics of the genre as it now stands. In their work, and the work of their contemporaries, they combined elements of the four classics, of folk stories, and of early Xia novels (such as “San Xia Wu Yi”) into an intricate and carefully detailed narrative structure, creating the influential and uniquely east Asian genre of Xuxia. However, not until the twentieth century work of authors such as Gu Long and Jin Yong did the genre come to true fruition. These ideas later found a supportive home within the Wuxia genre. Supported by a small band of martial artists, the brilliant Justice Bao seeks to purge the empire of corrupt officials and reinforce the rule of law and (largely Confucian) morality.
The story of “Seven Heroes and Five Gallants” is essentially a series of detective stories set against a backdrop of an empire where corruption has increasingly held sway in officialdom. This novel was derived from folk stories of Bao Zheng, or Justice Bao, a judge of prodigious intelligence and incorruptible moral character. A strong example can be seen in the work of Shi Yukun (?), who was responsible for “San Xia Wu Yi” (“Three Heroes and Five Gallants”) – a book later expanded by other contributors to eventually settle on its modern form, renamed “Qi Xia Wu Yi” (“Seven Heroes and Five Gallants”). We begin to see the Wuxia novel develop out of these earlier historic novels during the latter half of the Qing Dynasty. However, it is equally in the debt of “Xi You Ji” (“Journey into the West”) and “Hong Lou Men” (“Dreams of Red Mansions”) – the other two classics of Chinese historical fiction – despite their less overtly martial focus. These novels contribute most of the elements used by Wuxia authors to create the basic structures of Wuxia literature, principally the Jianghu and the Wulin. Each of these four classics contributed to the overall structure of the Wuxia genre while simultaneously missing components present in the modern genre.įor its fundamental components, the Wuxia genre is indebted to “San Guo Yan Yi” and “Shui Hu Zhuan” (respectively known in the West as “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and – variously – “The Water Margin”, “ Outlaws of the Marsh” or “All Men Are Brothers”). Wuxia is a relatively modern genre of literature certainly it has its origins in the much more venerable tradition of the Chinese historical novel, but it is important to differentiate between the two.įour classics of Chinese fiction literature have had a lasting influence. This is unfortunate as the Wuxia novel is as significant an influence on kung fu cinema as the frequently mentioned source of Chinese Opera. Fewer people may be aware of the Wuxia novel. The high-flying genre, with its clichéd plots and wire-assisted action sequences, is a ubiquitous component of martial culture. Regardless of their cinematic tastes most martial artists are at least familiar with kung fu movies. He is a life-long martial artist, has published several articles in Kung Fu Magazine and he’s probably a little bit too fond of kung fu movies.
He is a project manger who deals with the minutiae of public utility and health care software projects and an essayist who enjoys seriously over-thinking genre media through the lens of structuralist and post-structuralist theory. Simon McNeil is the author of The Black Trillium, a story of revolution and martial arts set in the ruins of Toronto.