Kunlun Nu
Encyclopedia
Kunlun Nu is a wuxia
romance written by Pei Xing (裴铏, 825–880) during the Tang Dynasty
. The hero of the tale is a Negrito
slave that uses his supernatural physical abilities to save his master's lover from the harem
of a court official.
(766-80) of Emperor Daizong
and follows the tale of a young man named Cui who enlists the aid of Mo Le, his negrito slave, to help free his beloved who was forced to join the harem
of a court official. At midnight, Mo Le kills the guard dogs around the compound and carries Cui on his back while easily jumping to the tops of walls and bounding from roof to roof. With the lovers reunited, Mo-lê leaps over ten tall walls with both of them on his back. Cui and his beloved are able to live happily together in peace because the official believes she was kidnapped by Youxia and did not want to make trouble for himself by pursuing them. However, two years later, one of the official’s attendants sees the girl in the city and reports this. The official arrests Cui and, once he hears the entire story, sends men to capture the negrito slave. But Mo Le escapes with his dagger (apparently his only possession) and flies over the city walls to escape apprehension. He is seen over ten years later selling medicine in the city, not having aged a single day.
, some hunters in the Zhongnan Mountains saw a naked man whose body was covered in black hair. Whenever they tried to capture him he “leapt over gullies and valleys as if in flight, and so could not be overtaken." After finally ambushing the man, the hunters learned it was in fact a 200 plus year old woman who had learned the arts of immortality from an old man in the forest. Still, it was popular in folktales for immortals to sell medicine in the city, just like Mo Le does. The hagiography
of the immortal Hu Gong (Sire Gourd) says he sold medicine in the market place during the day and slept in a magic gourd
hanging in his stall at night.
bibliographer and playwright Mei Dingzuo (梅鼎祚, 1549-1615) wrote a play entitled "How the Kunlun Slave Became
an Immortal" (昆仑奴剑侠成仙). The play expands upon the story in several ways. For instance, Mo Le explains to Cui that despite his wonderful abilities, he "is a slave because of an obligation from a past life." During the ten year interval between his escape and when he is spotted selling medicine in the market place, Mo Le cultivates immortality through Taoist practices and befriends many Chinese immortals. A woodblock print of the play appearing in Assorted Plays from the High Ming (盛明雜劇, 1629) portrays Mo Le as a large-framed man with characteristic foreign features such as large eyes, a thick beard, and foreign dress.
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...
romance written by Pei Xing (裴铏, 825–880) during the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. The hero of the tale is a Negrito
Negrito
The Negrito are a class of several ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia.Their current populations include 12 Andamanese peoples of the Andaman Islands, six Semang peoples of Malaysia, the Mani of Thailand, and the Aeta, Agta, Ati, and 30 other peoples of the Philippines....
slave that uses his supernatural physical abilities to save his master's lover from the harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
of a court official.
Plot
It takes place during the Dali reign eraChinese era name
A Chinese era name is the regnal year, reign period, or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperor's reign and naming certain Chinese rulers . Some emperors have several era names, one after another, where each beginning of a new era resets the numbering of the year back...
(766-80) of Emperor Daizong
Emperor Daizong of Tang
Emperor Daizong of Tang , personal name Li Yu , né Li Chu , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty....
and follows the tale of a young man named Cui who enlists the aid of Mo Le, his negrito slave, to help free his beloved who was forced to join the harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
of a court official. At midnight, Mo Le kills the guard dogs around the compound and carries Cui on his back while easily jumping to the tops of walls and bounding from roof to roof. With the lovers reunited, Mo-lê leaps over ten tall walls with both of them on his back. Cui and his beloved are able to live happily together in peace because the official believes she was kidnapped by Youxia and did not want to make trouble for himself by pursuing them. However, two years later, one of the official’s attendants sees the girl in the city and reports this. The official arrests Cui and, once he hears the entire story, sends men to capture the negrito slave. But Mo Le escapes with his dagger (apparently his only possession) and flies over the city walls to escape apprehension. He is seen over ten years later selling medicine in the city, not having aged a single day.
Taoist influence
Mo Le’s gravity defying abilities and agelessness suggests the fictional character is a practitioner of esoteric life-prolonging exercises akin to Chinese immortals. According to a tale attributed to the Taoist adept Ge HongGe Hong
Ge Hong , courtesy name Zhichuan , was a minor southern official during the Jìn Dynasty of China, best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and techniques of longevity...
, some hunters in the Zhongnan Mountains saw a naked man whose body was covered in black hair. Whenever they tried to capture him he “leapt over gullies and valleys as if in flight, and so could not be overtaken." After finally ambushing the man, the hunters learned it was in fact a 200 plus year old woman who had learned the arts of immortality from an old man in the forest. Still, it was popular in folktales for immortals to sell medicine in the city, just like Mo Le does. The hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of the immortal Hu Gong (Sire Gourd) says he sold medicine in the market place during the day and slept in a magic gourd
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
hanging in his stall at night.
How the Kunlun Slave Became an Immortal
The late Ming DynastyMing 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...
bibliographer and playwright Mei Dingzuo (梅鼎祚, 1549-1615) wrote a play entitled "How the Kunlun Slave Became
an Immortal" (昆仑奴剑侠成仙). The play expands upon the story in several ways. For instance, Mo Le explains to Cui that despite his wonderful abilities, he "is a slave because of an obligation from a past life." During the ten year interval between his escape and when he is spotted selling medicine in the market place, Mo Le cultivates immortality through Taoist practices and befriends many Chinese immortals. A woodblock print of the play appearing in Assorted Plays from the High Ming (盛明雜劇, 1629) portrays Mo Le as a large-framed man with characteristic foreign features such as large eyes, a thick beard, and foreign dress.
Film
- The PromiseThe Promise (2005 film)The Promise is a 2005 Chinese epic fantasy film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. The film is based on the wuxia romance The K'un-lun Slave, written by P'ei Hsing at the time of the Tang Dynasty.First released in mainland China on...
(2005). This is a very loose film adaptation of The Kunlun Slave. Instead of being called Mo Le, the slave is simply called “Kunlun” and he is portrayed by Korean actor Jang Dong-gunJang Dong-gun-Early life:Spending his childhood in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, he later went on to the Korea National University of Arts, dropping out before obtaining a degree.-Career:Jang Dong-gun first entered the entertainment world in a talent contest in 1992...
. - Kunlun Nu Yedao Hongxiao (昆仑奴夜盗红绡, "The Kunlun Slave Steals Hung-siu by Night") (1956).