Emei Sect
Encyclopedia
The Emei Sect is one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu
in several works of wuxia
fiction. Its home base is on Mount Emei
in Sichuan
. In reality it is also one of the leading schools in Chinese martial arts and survives till present-day.
by Guo Xiang around the same time as the founding of the Wudang Sect
. Guo is the sole survivor of the Guo family from The Return of the Condor Heroes
after the Battle of Xiangyang
. She escapes from Xiangyang with the Heaven-reliant Sword (倚天劍). She becomes an accomplished pugilist and roams the jianghu as a wandering heroine. At the age of 40, she decides to become a nun and founds the Emei Sect with her as its leader. Abbess Fengling becomes her successor, who in turn, is succeeded by Abbess Miejue.
In Jin Yong's works, the members of the Emei Sect are predominantly female and the leaders are Buddhist nuns. In wuxia works by other writers, the Emei Sect has members of both sexes, who play equally important roles in the sect.
In Sword Stained with Royal Blood
, set during the end of the Ming Dynasty
, Emei is briefly mentioned as one of the "Four Great Sword Sects" (四大劍派) and has male members as well. In Gu Long
's The Kingdom of the Golden Bird from The Lu Xiaofeng
Series, the Emei Sect is led by Dugu Yihe who is later slain by Ximen Chuixue.
(her maternal grandfather)'s skills. She also learnt part of the Nine Yang Manual from Jueyuan in her younger days. However, it does have some elements of unorthodox skills, as exhibited by Zhou Zhiruo
when she uses the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" (九陰白骨爪) after she finds the Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經).
Emei's martial arts range from powerful inner energy skills to use of weapons and unarmed combat. They encompass the "Twelve Movements" (動功十二桩) and the "Six Specially Mastered Skills" (靜功六大專修功). The main weapon used by Emei members is the sword. They use needles and hairpins, called the "Prick of Emei" (峨嵋刺) or "Jade Maiden Hairpin" (玉女簪), as projectile weapons to throw at enemies. The most powerful of Emei's skills are the "Emei Swordplay" and the thirty-six styles of "Dianxue" (三十六式天罡指穴法).
Like Wudang, Emei's skills are dual-natured, having elements of "roughness" and "softness", "long-range" and "short-range" attacks in the same style of fighting. They rotate between deceptive and direct attacks and can be used effectively by women to overcome opponents who are physically stronger than them. Some movements in Emei's swordplays are feminine in nature and are named after ancient Chinese beauties and Chinese idioms used to describe feminine beauty.
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...
in several works of wuxia
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...
fiction. Its home base is on Mount Emei
Mount Emei
"峨眉山" redirects here. For the county-level city that Mount Emei is located in, see Emeishan CityMount Emei is a mountain in Sichuan province, China...
in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. In reality it is also one of the leading schools in Chinese martial arts and survives till present-day.
History
In Jin Yong's The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Emei Sect is founded in the early Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
by Guo Xiang around the same time as the founding of the Wudang Sect
Wudang Sect
The Wudang Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several works of wuxia fiction. It is one of the most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is in the Wudang Mountains...
. Guo is the sole survivor of the Guo family from 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...
after the Battle of Xiangyang
Battle of Xiangyang
The Battle of Xiangyang also known as the Battle of Xiangfan was a six-year battle between invading Yuan Dynasty armies founded by the Mongols and Southern Song forces between AD 1267 and 1273. After the battle, the victorious Yuan forces pushed farther into the Song heartland...
. She escapes from Xiangyang with the Heaven-reliant Sword (倚天劍). She becomes an accomplished pugilist and roams the jianghu as a wandering heroine. At the age of 40, she decides to become a nun and founds the Emei Sect with her as its leader. Abbess Fengling becomes her successor, who in turn, is succeeded by Abbess Miejue.
In Jin Yong's works, the members of the Emei Sect are predominantly female and the leaders are Buddhist nuns. In wuxia works by other writers, the Emei Sect has members of both sexes, who play equally important roles in the sect.
In Sword Stained with Royal Blood
Sword Stained with Royal Blood
Sword Stained with Royal Blood is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialized in the Hong Kong Commercial Daily between January 1, 1956 and December 31, 1956...
, set during the end of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, Emei is briefly mentioned as one of the "Four Great Sword Sects" (四大劍派) and has male members as well. In Gu Long
Gu Long
Xiong Yaohua , better known by his pen name Gu Long , was a Chinese novelist and screenwriter. Xiong is best known for writing wuxia novels and novel series, which include: Juedai Shuangjiao, Xiaoli Feidao Series, Chu Liuxiang Series, Lu Xiaofeng Series and Xiao Shiyilang...
's The Kingdom of the Golden Bird from The Lu Xiaofeng
Lu Xiaofeng
Lu Xiaofeng is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel series Lu Xiaofeng Series by Gu Long.-Personal information:Lu Xiaofeng is best identified by his distinctive "Four Eyebrows" , as he sports two strands of moustache that resemble his eyebrows, making him seem as though he has four eyebrows...
Series, the Emei Sect is led by Dugu Yihe who is later slain by Ximen Chuixue.
Martial arts
In Jin Yong's wuxia novels, the martial arts of the Emei Sect are the best among the those suited for women. The origins of Emei's martial arts come from its founder Guo Xiang. Guo's martial arts are mainly those inherited from her family, including some of Huang YaoshiHuang Yaoshi
Huang Yaoshi is a fictional character in Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy. He appears in the first two novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes as a supporting character....
(her maternal grandfather)'s skills. She also learnt part of the Nine Yang Manual from Jueyuan in her younger days. However, it does have some elements of unorthodox skills, as exhibited by 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:...
when she uses the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" (九陰白骨爪) after she finds the Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經).
Emei's martial arts range from powerful inner energy skills to use of weapons and unarmed combat. They encompass the "Twelve Movements" (動功十二桩) and the "Six Specially Mastered Skills" (靜功六大專修功). The main weapon used by Emei members is the sword. They use needles and hairpins, called the "Prick of Emei" (峨嵋刺) or "Jade Maiden Hairpin" (玉女簪), as projectile weapons to throw at enemies. The most powerful of Emei's skills are the "Emei Swordplay" and the thirty-six styles of "Dianxue" (三十六式天罡指穴法).
Like Wudang, Emei's skills are dual-natured, having elements of "roughness" and "softness", "long-range" and "short-range" attacks in the same style of fighting. They rotate between deceptive and direct attacks and can be used effectively by women to overcome opponents who are physically stronger than them. Some movements in Emei's swordplays are feminine in nature and are named after ancient Chinese beauties and Chinese idioms used to describe feminine beauty.
External links
Emei 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....