Ancient Tomb Sect
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Tomb Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in Jin Yong's wuxia
novel The Return of the Condor Heroes
. It plays a significant role in the character development of the protagonists, Yang Guo
and Xiaolongnü
. It gets its name from its home base, the Ancient Tomb (古墓) at Mount Zhongnan (終南山).
and shares a long history with its neighbour Quanzhen Sect
, based in Chongyang Palace (重陽宮) on Mount Zhongnan. The Ancient Tomb is built by Quanzhen's founder Wang Chongyang
. Although it is called a tomb, it is actually to store supplies and weapons in preparation for war against the Jurchen invaders from the Jin Dynasty. The tomb is also filled with various traps and hidden rooms and serves as an excellent hideout for the Han Chinese
defenders of Song.
Wang Chongyang attempts to rally an army of volunteers to defend their homeland from the Jin invaders but fails. He is upset by his failure and retreats to live a reclusive life inside the tomb, calling himself a "living dead" man (活死人). Hence, the Ancient Tomb is also called "Tomb of the Living Dead" (活死人墓). Wang's lover, Lin Chaoying, feels that Wang's talents will go to waste if he continues to be a hermit and she tricks him into leaving the tomb and both of them roam the jianghu
together. However, Wang is still very concerned about his country and treats Lin very coldly. Lin thinks that Wang looks down on her and challenges him to a fight on Mount Zhongnan. Lin defeats Wang by trickery and wins the Ancient Tomb as her prize. She moves to live inside the tomb and has never left since then.
Lin hates Wang for not appreciating her love for him and she spends her time innovating and developing new martial arts techniques to counter those of Quanzhen Sect's. She creates the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra" (玉女心經), which proves to be the bane of Quanzhen martial arts as its movements seem to oppose all of Quanzhen's. However, it is later discovered that the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra actually complements Quanzhen's swordplay and covers its flaws. Hence, one can deduce that although Lin appears to hate Wang, she actually still loves him and helps him subtly.
Lin Chaoying has her maid become her disciple and teaches her martial arts. The sect gets its name from its home base since Lin does not give it a name and pugilists can only refer to it as the "Ancient Tomb Sect". The maid later accepts Xiaolongnü
and Li Mochou as her disciples. Li is banished from the sect due to the fact that she betrayed her master and she continues to roam the jianghu as a vicious killer. Xiaolongnu's master died after being injured by Ouyang Feng. The sect only becomes known to pugilists after Li establishes her evil name in the jianghu. Xiaolongnü later accepts Yang Guo
as her disciple and Yang becomes the first male member of the sect. It is unknown whether Yang and Xiaolongnü did accept any disciples. In the sequel novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Yang and Xiaolongnü have a descendant known as the Yellow Dress Maiden, who uses the Nine Yin Manuals to defeat Zhou Zhiruo
.
is taught this beautiful form of swordplay by her teacher. Seemingly reflecting Lin's grudge against Quanzhen's founder Wang Chongyang
, the swordplay's moves are the nemesis of Quanzhen's swordplay as they seek to attack its weaknesses. This gives any student of the Ancient Tomb Sect an advantage over the Quanzhen Sect. However, Yang Guo
and Xiaolongnü eventually discover that when the two forms of swordplay are coordinated together by a pair of lovers, they make the couple formidable as each protects the other flawlessly. This reflects the true feelings of the respective founders of the sects towards each other. Apparently Lin hated Wang, but actually she loved him and became his partner. After learning the "Technique of Ambidexterity" (雙手互搏) from Zhou Botong
, Xiaolongnü is able to perform the two swordplays with both hands at overwhelming speed.
.
. As such, she can glide and soar in the air.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
novel The Return of the Condor Heroes
The Return of the Condor Heroes
The Return of the Condor Heroes is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, and the second part of the Condor Trilogy. It was first serialized between May 20, 1959 and July 5, 1961 on Ming Pao. The story revolves around Yang Guo and his lover Xiaolongnü in their adventure in the wulin fraternity, which does not...
. It plays a significant role in the character development of the protagonists, Yang Guo
Yang Guo
Yang Guo, style name Gaizhi , is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong....
and Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
. It gets its name from its home base, the Ancient Tomb (古墓) at Mount Zhongnan (終南山).
History
The sect is founded by Lin Chaoying during the Song DynastySong Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
and shares a long history with its neighbour Quanzhen Sect
Quanzhen School
The Quanzhen School of Taoism originated in Northern China. It was founded by the Taoist Wang Chongyang in the 12th century, during the rise of the Jin Dynasty...
, based in Chongyang Palace (重陽宮) on Mount Zhongnan. The Ancient Tomb is built by Quanzhen's founder Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang [Chinese calendar: 宋徽宗政和二年十二月廿二 – 金世宗大定十年正月初四] was a Chinese Taoist and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the twelfth century during the Song Dynasty. He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen...
. Although it is called a tomb, it is actually to store supplies and weapons in preparation for war against the Jurchen invaders from the Jin Dynasty. The tomb is also filled with various traps and hidden rooms and serves as an excellent hideout for the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
defenders of Song.
Wang Chongyang attempts to rally an army of volunteers to defend their homeland from the Jin invaders but fails. He is upset by his failure and retreats to live a reclusive life inside the tomb, calling himself a "living dead" man (活死人). Hence, the Ancient Tomb is also called "Tomb of the Living Dead" (活死人墓). Wang's lover, Lin Chaoying, feels that Wang's talents will go to waste if he continues to be a hermit and she tricks him into leaving the tomb and both of them roam the jianghu
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
together. However, Wang is still very concerned about his country and treats Lin very coldly. Lin thinks that Wang looks down on her and challenges him to a fight on Mount Zhongnan. Lin defeats Wang by trickery and wins the Ancient Tomb as her prize. She moves to live inside the tomb and has never left since then.
Lin hates Wang for not appreciating her love for him and she spends her time innovating and developing new martial arts techniques to counter those of Quanzhen Sect's. She creates the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra" (玉女心經), which proves to be the bane of Quanzhen martial arts as its movements seem to oppose all of Quanzhen's. However, it is later discovered that the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra actually complements Quanzhen's swordplay and covers its flaws. Hence, one can deduce that although Lin appears to hate Wang, she actually still loves him and helps him subtly.
Lin Chaoying has her maid become her disciple and teaches her martial arts. The sect gets its name from its home base since Lin does not give it a name and pugilists can only refer to it as the "Ancient Tomb Sect". The maid later accepts Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
and Li Mochou as her disciples. Li is banished from the sect due to the fact that she betrayed her master and she continues to roam the jianghu as a vicious killer. Xiaolongnu's master died after being injured by Ouyang Feng. The sect only becomes known to pugilists after Li establishes her evil name in the jianghu. Xiaolongnü later accepts Yang Guo
Yang Guo
Yang Guo, style name Gaizhi , is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong....
as her disciple and Yang becomes the first male member of the sect. It is unknown whether Yang and Xiaolongnü did accept any disciples. In the sequel novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Yang and Xiaolongnü have a descendant known as the Yellow Dress Maiden, who uses the Nine Yin Manuals to defeat Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo is one of the two female lead characters in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Jin Yong describes Zhou's physical appearance as "beautiful, pure and free of worldly traits" .-Biography:...
.
Swordplay of Jade Maiden
The "Swordplay of Jade Maiden" (玉女素心劍法) or Jade Maiden Heart Manual (玉女心經), created by Lin Chaoying, is one of the traditional martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect. XiaolongnüXiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
is taught this beautiful form of swordplay by her teacher. Seemingly reflecting Lin's grudge against Quanzhen's founder Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang [Chinese calendar: 宋徽宗政和二年十二月廿二 – 金世宗大定十年正月初四] was a Chinese Taoist and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the twelfth century during the Song Dynasty. He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen...
, the swordplay's moves are the nemesis of Quanzhen's swordplay as they seek to attack its weaknesses. This gives any student of the Ancient Tomb Sect an advantage over the Quanzhen Sect. However, Yang Guo
Yang Guo
Yang Guo, style name Gaizhi , is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong....
and Xiaolongnü eventually discover that when the two forms of swordplay are coordinated together by a pair of lovers, they make the couple formidable as each protects the other flawlessly. This reflects the true feelings of the respective founders of the sects towards each other. Apparently Lin hated Wang, but actually she loved him and became his partner. After learning the "Technique of Ambidexterity" (雙手互搏) from Zhou Botong
Zhou Botong
Zhou Botong is a fictional character in the wuxia novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong....
, Xiaolongnü is able to perform the two swordplays with both hands at overwhelming speed.
Fist of Beauties
The "Fist of Beauties" (美女拳法) is a graceful, elegant and seemingly harmless technique but is actually quite deadly. Its styles and moves are named after ancient Chinese beauties, such as Xi ShiXi Shi
Xi Shi was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue....
.
Palm of Infinity Web
The "Palm of Infinity Web" (天羅地網式) is a swift defensive technique. This is a secret skill of Lin Chaoying. It involves moving the palms in a strange pattern and formation, seemingly creating an invisible web, which can confuse an enemy and halt any advances. Yang learns this technique from Xiaolongnü by catching sparrows in mid-air.Qinggong
The Ancient Tomb Sect's qinggong is among the fastest in the world. Xiaolongnü's is said to be the best in the jianghuJianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
. As such, she can glide and soar in the air.
External links
Ancient Tomb Sect on Baidu BaikeBaidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....