Hong Qigong
Encyclopedia
Hong Qigong is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia
novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes
and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes
. Hong is the chief of the Beggars' Sect
.
Hong is best known for his most powerful martial arts "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms" and "Dog Beating Staff Technique", which earns him his position as the "Northern Beggar" of the top five pugilists in the jianghu
in the first novel. He is also known as the "Nine-fingered Divine Beggar" after he severs one of his fingers. He does so to remind himself to be more time-conscious as he has once failed a mission after indulging too much in fine cuisine.
Hong plays a supporting role in the first novel by imparting his skills to Guo Jing
and Huang Rong
, of whom the latter succeeds him as chief of the Beggars' Sect. He has a reputation for being chivalrous and always willing to help those in need. He appears as a happy-go-lucky old beggar who idles his time away but in fact he helps those in need secretly.
. He cuts off his forefinger from his right hand in remorse after failing a mission, which cost a man's life, because of his over-indulgence in fine cuisine.
Hong makes his first appearance in the novel during Guo Jing
and Huang Rong
's first adventure. Huang is preparing some fine cuisine for Guo and the fragrant scent of the food titillates Hong's senses. Hong appears and asks to taste the food. Huang examines his physical appearance closely and sees his Dog Beating Staff and his missing finger, which leads her to conclude that he is the "Northern Beggar".
Huang tricks Hong into teaching Guo martial arts in return for preparing fine cuisine every day for him. Hong succumbs to the temptation of delicious food and stays for almost a month with them. During that period of time, Hong teaches Guo his "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms". Initially, he is suspicious of Huang Rong when he recognises her as the daughter of his rival, Huang Yaoshi
. He is reluctant to teach her any martial arts but eventually imparts the "Carefree Fist" to her.
Hong leaves them afterwards and meets them again during their encounter with Ouyang Ke. The lecherous Ouyang is attempting to kidnap Cheng Yaojia and rape her but Cheng is saved by Guo, Huang and some members of the Beggars' Sect
. Hong helps them drive away Ouyang. Hong formally accepts Guo and Huang as his disciples and finishes imparting the full set of the "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms" to Guo. Hong also teaches Huang the "Rain of Petals" skill, which involves using common sewing needles as dart-like throwing weapons against Ouyang and his snakes.
Hong sets foot on Peach Blossom Island later and intervenes in the contest between Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke to win Huang Rong's hand-in-marriage. Huang Yaoshi allows Hong, Guo and Zhou Botong
to leave Peach Blossom Island later on a damaged ship. The ship sinks in the middle of the sea but the trio are rescued by Ouyang Feng, whose ship coincidentally sails past the shipwreck. Onboard, Ouyang uses all sorts of means to force Hong and Guo to hand over the Nine Yin Manual. However, they deliberately wrote a wrong version of the manual for him, in hope that he will be weakened after practising the skills in a reverse manner.
Ouyang's ship sinks later while he engages Hong in a fierce battle. During the battle, Hong is poisoned after Ouyang uses his serpent venom on him. Guo Jing and Huang Rong manage to rescue Hong and they settle on a nearby island. The Ouyangs also set foot on the island and the five of them are stranded there. Hong uses all his inner energy
to heal himself by purging out all the poison from his body, but loses his powers in the process.
Hong decides to pass the position of leader of the Beggars' Sect to Huang Rong and teaches her the "Dog Beating Staff Technique". When Hong, Guo and Huang manage to leave the island, Hong follows them on their adventures together with Zhou Botong. They venture into the palace, where Hong says he wants to taste imperial cuisine again. When he meets his students again, Guo and Huang now have a better understanding of the Nine Yin Manual and they pass their knowledge to him, to help him recover faster. Hong is briefly mentioned again in the scene on Mount Hua
before the novel ends.
as a carefree old beggar and ventures in search of culinary delights. On Mount Hua
, he meets Yang Guo
and is impressed with the young man's strong sense of righteousness. Concurrently, he runs into his old rival, Ouyang Feng.
The two rivals engage each other in a battle again, which lasted four days. The battle is only interrupted when Yang comes at intervals to serve them meals. The animosity between the two rivals is too strong for them to bear and they continue to pit their inner energies against each other for a full day. Both of them suffer from exhaustion but they are unwilling to back down to uphold their ego. They decide to use Yang, who has been an observer for the past few days, as an intermediate. Hong and Ouyang teach Yang their respective skills and ask Yang to perform for each other to see.
Hong teaches Yang the "Dog Beating Staff Technique". Ouyang has apparently lost after Yang performs the last stance "No Dogs Under Heaven". Ouyang spends the following night thinking of a counter move and the next morning he asks Yang to perform for Hong to see. Hong is shocked when he sees that Ouyang has managed to defeat his most powerful move. Hong finally realises that his rivalry with Ouyang is merely an illusion as there will not be an eventual victor between the two of them. He laughs hysterically and embraces Ouyang in defeat. At the same time, Ouyang seems to have recovered from his insanity as he finally recognises Hong. The two rivals die together amidst laughter and forgotten past feuds. Yang buries them side by side on Mount Hua.
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 Legend of the Condor Heroes
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
The Legend of Condor Heroes is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, and the first part of the Condor Trilogy. It was first serialized between January 1, 1957 and May 19, 1959 in Hong Kong Commercial Daily...
and its sequel 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...
. Hong is the chief of the Beggars' Sect
Beggars' Sect
The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars....
.
Hong is best known for his most powerful martial arts "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms" and "Dog Beating Staff Technique", which earns him his position as the "Northern Beggar" of the top five pugilists in 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...
in the first novel. He is also known as the "Nine-fingered Divine Beggar" after he severs one of his fingers. He does so to remind himself to be more time-conscious as he has once failed a mission after indulging too much in fine cuisine.
Hong plays a supporting role in the first novel by imparting his skills to Guo Jing
Guo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
and Huang Rong
Huang Rong
Huang Rong is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. She plays a supporting role in the sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes.-Character description:...
, of whom the latter succeeds him as chief of the Beggars' Sect. He has a reputation for being chivalrous and always willing to help those in need. He appears as a happy-go-lucky old beggar who idles his time away but in fact he helps those in need secretly.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
Little is known of Hong's past, except that he mentioned that he used to be a slave of Jurchen (Jin Dynasty) officials before joining the Beggars' SectBeggars' Sect
The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars....
. He cuts off his forefinger from his right hand in remorse after failing a mission, which cost a man's life, because of his over-indulgence in fine cuisine.
Hong makes his first appearance in the novel during Guo Jing
Guo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
and Huang Rong
Huang Rong
Huang Rong is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. She plays a supporting role in the sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes.-Character description:...
's first adventure. Huang is preparing some fine cuisine for Guo and the fragrant scent of the food titillates Hong's senses. Hong appears and asks to taste the food. Huang examines his physical appearance closely and sees his Dog Beating Staff and his missing finger, which leads her to conclude that he is the "Northern Beggar".
Huang tricks Hong into teaching Guo martial arts in return for preparing fine cuisine every day for him. Hong succumbs to the temptation of delicious food and stays for almost a month with them. During that period of time, Hong teaches Guo his "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms". Initially, he is suspicious of Huang Rong when he recognises her as the daughter of his rival, Huang Yaoshi
Huang 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....
. He is reluctant to teach her any martial arts but eventually imparts the "Carefree Fist" to her.
Hong leaves them afterwards and meets them again during their encounter with Ouyang Ke. The lecherous Ouyang is attempting to kidnap Cheng Yaojia and rape her but Cheng is saved by Guo, Huang and some members of the Beggars' Sect
Beggars' Sect
The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars....
. Hong helps them drive away Ouyang. Hong formally accepts Guo and Huang as his disciples and finishes imparting the full set of the "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms" to Guo. Hong also teaches Huang the "Rain of Petals" skill, which involves using common sewing needles as dart-like throwing weapons against Ouyang and his snakes.
Hong sets foot on Peach Blossom Island later and intervenes in the contest between Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke to win Huang Rong's hand-in-marriage. Huang Yaoshi allows Hong, Guo and 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....
to leave Peach Blossom Island later on a damaged ship. The ship sinks in the middle of the sea but the trio are rescued by Ouyang Feng, whose ship coincidentally sails past the shipwreck. Onboard, Ouyang uses all sorts of means to force Hong and Guo to hand over the Nine Yin Manual. However, they deliberately wrote a wrong version of the manual for him, in hope that he will be weakened after practising the skills in a reverse manner.
Ouyang's ship sinks later while he engages Hong in a fierce battle. During the battle, Hong is poisoned after Ouyang uses his serpent venom on him. Guo Jing and Huang Rong manage to rescue Hong and they settle on a nearby island. The Ouyangs also set foot on the island and the five of them are stranded there. Hong uses all his inner energy
Neigong
Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
to heal himself by purging out all the poison from his body, but loses his powers in the process.
Hong decides to pass the position of leader of the Beggars' Sect to Huang Rong and teaches her the "Dog Beating Staff Technique". When Hong, Guo and Huang manage to leave the island, Hong follows them on their adventures together with Zhou Botong. They venture into the palace, where Hong says he wants to taste imperial cuisine again. When he meets his students again, Guo and Huang now have a better understanding of the Nine Yin Manual and they pass their knowledge to him, to help him recover faster. Hong is briefly mentioned again in the scene on Mount Hua
Mount Hua
Mount Hua or Hua Shan in Chinese is located in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. Also known as Xiyuè, Western Great Mountain, it is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance...
before the novel ends.
The Return of the Condor Heroes
Hong makes a brief appearance in the sequel novel. He has regained his powers after losing them previously in the prequel novel, and continues to roam 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 a carefree old beggar and ventures in search of culinary delights. On Mount Hua
Mount Hua
Mount Hua or Hua Shan in Chinese is located in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. Also known as Xiyuè, Western Great Mountain, it is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance...
, he meets 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 is impressed with the young man's strong sense of righteousness. Concurrently, he runs into his old rival, Ouyang Feng.
The two rivals engage each other in a battle again, which lasted four days. The battle is only interrupted when Yang comes at intervals to serve them meals. The animosity between the two rivals is too strong for them to bear and they continue to pit their inner energies against each other for a full day. Both of them suffer from exhaustion but they are unwilling to back down to uphold their ego. They decide to use Yang, who has been an observer for the past few days, as an intermediate. Hong and Ouyang teach Yang their respective skills and ask Yang to perform for each other to see.
Hong teaches Yang the "Dog Beating Staff Technique". Ouyang has apparently lost after Yang performs the last stance "No Dogs Under Heaven". Ouyang spends the following night thinking of a counter move and the next morning he asks Yang to perform for Hong to see. Hong is shocked when he sees that Ouyang has managed to defeat his most powerful move. Hong finally realises that his rivalry with Ouyang is merely an illusion as there will not be an eventual victor between the two of them. He laughs hysterically and embraces Ouyang in defeat. At the same time, Ouyang seems to have recovered from his insanity as he finally recognises Hong. The two rivals die together amidst laughter and forgotten past feuds. Yang buries them side by side on Mount Hua.
Martial arts and skills
- Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms (降龍十八掌) - the most powerful of all external martial arts mentioned in the novel, being unmatched in their sheer power. The skill is created based on the principles from the I ChingI ChingThe I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
.
- Dog Beating Staff Technique (打狗棒法) - a set of 36 styles of staff techniques. The skill is only known to the Beggars' Sect's chief and passed down from each chief to his/her successor and no other member of the sect knows the skill.
- Carefree Fist (逍遙遊) - a set of fist techniques created by Hong in his youth. The skill is smooth and visually appealing but lacks real power.
- Rain of Petals (滿天花雨) - created by Hong to counter Ouyang Ke's snake formation in battle after seeing Huang Rong's sewing kit. It involves using common sewing needles as dart-like throwing weapons.
- Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經) - after Hong is injured and loses his martial arts prowess temporarily after a battle with Ouyang Feng, Guo Jing and Huang Rong pass their knowledge of the manual to him to help him recover.
External links
Hong Qigong 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....