The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
Encyclopedia
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a wuxia
novel by Jin Yong, first published as a serial in Ming Pao
from April 20, 1967 to October 12, 1969. The term "Xiaoao Jianghu" (笑傲江湖) means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. An alternative English title is State of Divinity.
Fuwei Escort Agency, but the escort agency is massacred by Yu Canghai, head of Qingcheng Sect, to obtain the secret manual himself. Lin Pingzhi, the only son, survives and is rescued by Yue Buqun, the leader of the Mount Hua Sect
, part of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
that binds the Taoist Five Great Mountains
. Yue Buqun and his kindly wife accept Lin Pingzhi as their new disciple before the rest of his pupils and trains him in swordplay.
The protagonist of the novel is Yue Buqun's eldest disciple Linghu Chong
, an orphaned, happy-go-lucky but honorable swordsman who loves liquor. He befriends notorious lecherous bandit Tian Boguang and rescues pretty nun Yilin of the (North) Mount Heng Sect from being raped by Tian. Meanwhile, Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect announces his plans to retire from the jianghu
and invites fellow pugilists to witness the ceremony. However, the event culminates into a bloodbath when the orthodox sects accuse Liu Zhengfeng of unfaithfulness to their code. Liu Zhengfeng and his friend, Qu Yang of the unorthodox Sun Moon Holy Cult, commit suicide after being cornered by the pugilists. They pass on the score of their music piece Xiao'ao Jianghu to Linghu Chong before their deaths.
Lin Pingzhi's entrance into the Mount Hua Sect causes Linghu Chong to lose favor with Yue Lingshan, daughter of Yue Buqun. Yue Lingshan falls in love with Lin Pingzhi and causes Linghu Chong to fall out of love. Linghu Chong's carefree nature brings him into trouble: his teacher decides to punish him by making him stay in the back-hill for a year to reflect alone on his actions. Linghu Chong discovers some swordplay technique carvings in the cave there and practises them, thus becoming familiar with the swordplays of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance and how to overcome them. He also meets the reclusive swordsman Feng Qingyang, an elderly senior pugilist from the Mount Hua Sect, and learns the powerful "Nine Swords of Dugu
" from Feng Qingyang, which transforms him into a formidable swordsman.
The orthodox Five-Mountain Sword-Sect Alliance, although outwardly united, is troubled constantly by inward politicking. Linghu Chong gets embroiled into this and becomes badly wounded despite rescuing several disciples through his exalted swordplay, using the intricate Dugu swordsplay which Yue proclaims is unorthodox.
Linghu Chong meets the six brothers who call themselves Six Immortals of the Peach Valley who attempt to cure his wounds in their weird fashion but they only aggravate his wounds. He follows his teacher to Luoyang
and meets a guqin
-playing "old woman", who turns out to be a beautiful young maiden in disguise, Ren Yingying. Yue Buqun declares himself tired of Linghu Chong's associations with lowlives and strangers and deserts him. At Shaolin Monastery, Linghu Chong helps Ren Yingying recover from an injury after she is assaulted by some disciples from the orthodox sect and himself recovers from his severe inner injuries, but learns from the abbot that his master, Yue Buqun, has made public his expulsion from the Mount Hua Sect.
The orphaned Linghu Chong falls into despair as he is now an outcast of the wulin (martial artists' community). He leaves Shaolin and meets a stranger Xiang Wentian, whom he saves from dozens of enemies. Xiang Wentian becomes sworn brothers with Linghu Chong and brings him to a manor in Hangzhou
, where Linghu encounters Ren Woxing, the former powerful leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, imprisoned underground in a scheme orchestrated by his deputy, Dongfang Bubai
. Ren Woxing breaks out of prison by using Linghu Chong to replace himself. In return, Ren Woxing lets Linghu Chong master his own highly powerful inner skills, and thereafter rescues Linghu out of prison.
After several episodes and being framed again for his involvement with the orthodox sects, Ren Woxing offers his daughter's hand in marriage to Linghu Chong and persuades Linghu to join his cult, but Linghu declines. However, Linghu Chong, Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian are all involved in Ren's showdown to regain his sect leader position against his former deputy Dongfang Bubai. They find that Dongfang Bubai has turned effeminate after castrating himself in order to learn from an ancient martial arts manual created by a palace eunuch. He now engages in embroidery and takes a male lover. However, Dongfang Bubai remains so highly skilled and lightning fast in his reactions that the combined prowesses of Ren Woxing, Xiang Wentian and Linghu Chong cannot defeat him, and it is only through a ploy that the invincible Dongfang Bubai meets his doom. Ren Woxing regains control of his sect.
Owing to the fact he once helped the late leaders of the (North) Mount Heng sect, Linghu Chong is appointed head of a convoy of nun pugilists. He leaves later together with Ren Yingying to attend a special assembly of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance called by Zuo Lengchan, an ambitious leader of the Mount Song Sect. Zuo Lengchan attempts to force the other four sects to submit to his leadership, Yue Buqun uses the Bixie Swordplay to defeat and blind Zuo Lengchan. Yue Buqun becomes the new leader of the alliance, much to the surprise of everyone present.
After leaving the assembly, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying meet Lin Pingzhi, who is brutally killing members of the Qingcheng Sect to avenge his parents. Much to the surprise of Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying, they overhear a conversation between Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi, which reveals the fact that Lin Pingzhi and Yue Buqun have both mastered the Bixie Swordsplay. The Bixie Sword Manual is actually a corrupted version of the Sunflower Manual, which Dongfang Bubai learned his skills from, hence Lin Pingzhi and Yue Buqun's prowesses are compromised. Through this, Linghu Chong learns his respected master is actually a hypocrite who has plotted an elaborate scheme against Lin Pingzhi to obtain the manual, and Lin and Yue Buqun have both castrated themselves to learn the skills in the swordplay manual.
Yue Buqun tries to kill Lin Pingzhi, who is plotting his revenge on Yue and knows his secret, Zuo Lengchan and the rest of the orthodox sect members. The finale climaxes with the sect members trapped in the dark cave where Linghu Chong learned his swordplay from owing to Yue Buqun's treachery, where they slaughter one another out of paranoia and distrust. Both Yue Buqun's wife and daughter die for their husbands, while Yue is stabbed to death by Yilin, the young nun. Ren Woxing, intoxicated by power, masters an attack to overcome the scattered and fragmented orthodox sects then, coercing Linghu Chong to join his forces, but dies at the crucial moment from a stroke triggered by his own megalomania.
Ren Yingying is nominated as the new leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and she seeks a truce between the righteous and unorthodox sides. Three years later, Ren Yingying passes the leadership to Xiang Wentian and marries Linghu Chong. Disillusioned by all the stife caused by power struggles, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying retire from the jianghu, living happily after a wedding where the orthodox and unorthodox sects come to a temporary truce.
Although Jin Yong did not leave any straight-forward evidence, many people believed that characters and factions in the book are representations of people and powers in era when the book is written (the late 1960s). One popular interpretation believes that the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
represents the Soviet Union
, with the leader Zuo Lengchan representing Joseph Stalin
. The Sun Moon Holy Cult represents China with Dongfang Bubai
representing Mao Zedong
. The other sects, including Shaolin
, Wudang
, and Emei
, represent NATO and countries aligned with the United States. This idea relates very well to George Orwell
's Nineteen Eighty-Four
, where the world is split into three superpowers: Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia.
This heavily politics related book is written from an interesting perspective. Instead of viewing the situation from a politician who is either wanting form a rebellion or struggling to keep the world peaceful, the main character, Linghu Chong
, is a lonely individual who does not seek power in a power driven world.
, namely Mount Song
, Mount Hua
, Mount Tai
, (north) Mount Heng
and (south) Mount Heng
. The alliance is headed by the ambitious and power-hungry Mount Song Sect under the leadership of Zuo Lengchan, who has actually called for the alliance to consolidate power and challenge the Shaolin Sect
and Wudang Sect
.
takes over after removing Ren from power with a scheme. Dongfang Bubai treats his followers cruelly, making them consume poison and giving them the antidote to temporarily ease their suffering only if they obey him. Ren Woxing practices the infamous "Star-sucking Skill" (吸星大法) and Dongfang Bubai is also said to be invincible after mastering the skills in the Sunflower Manual (葵花寶典). Xiang Wentian becomes its leader after the death of Ren Woxing and after Ren Yingying steps down.
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 by Jin Yong, first published as a serial in Ming Pao
Ming Pao
Ming Pao is a Chinese language newspaper published by Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, Ming Pao established four overseas branches in North America, each provides independent reporting on local news and collect local advertisements. Currently, only the two Canadian editions remain: Ming...
from April 20, 1967 to October 12, 1969. The term "Xiaoao Jianghu" (笑傲江湖) means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. An alternative English title is State of Divinity.
Plot
The plot's initial development revolves around a coveted martial arts manual known as the Bixie Swordplay Manual. The manual has been passed down as a family heirloom in the Lin family of the FuzhouFuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
Fuwei Escort Agency, but the escort agency is massacred by Yu Canghai, head of Qingcheng Sect, to obtain the secret manual himself. Lin Pingzhi, the only son, survives and is rescued by Yue Buqun, the leader of the Mount Hua Sect
Mount Hua Sect
The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is featured in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels as one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu. As its name implies, the sect is based on Mount Hua. In reality, a Mount Hua Sect exists but it has nothing to do with...
, part of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
The Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five Chinese martial arts sects that appears in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. The five sects specialize in swordplay and they are based on the Five Sacred Mountains of China...
that binds the Taoist Five Great Mountains
Sacred Mountains of China
The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into two groups, one associated with Taoism and the other with Buddhism. The group associated with Taoism is known as the Five Great Mountains , whereas the group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism .The sacred...
. Yue Buqun and his kindly wife accept Lin Pingzhi as their new disciple before the rest of his pupils and trains him in swordplay.
The protagonist of the novel is Yue Buqun's eldest disciple Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.-Biography:Linghu is an orphan and was taken into Yue Buqun's care as a child. Yue accepted him as a disciple and Linghu became a member of the Mount Hua Sect as Yue's most senior disciple. He...
, an orphaned, happy-go-lucky but honorable swordsman who loves liquor. He befriends notorious lecherous bandit Tian Boguang and rescues pretty nun Yilin of the (North) Mount Heng Sect from being raped by Tian. Meanwhile, Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect announces his plans to retire from 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...
and invites fellow pugilists to witness the ceremony. However, the event culminates into a bloodbath when the orthodox sects accuse Liu Zhengfeng of unfaithfulness to their code. Liu Zhengfeng and his friend, Qu Yang of the unorthodox Sun Moon Holy Cult, commit suicide after being cornered by the pugilists. They pass on the score of their music piece Xiao'ao Jianghu to Linghu Chong before their deaths.
Lin Pingzhi's entrance into the Mount Hua Sect causes Linghu Chong to lose favor with Yue Lingshan, daughter of Yue Buqun. Yue Lingshan falls in love with Lin Pingzhi and causes Linghu Chong to fall out of love. Linghu Chong's carefree nature brings him into trouble: his teacher decides to punish him by making him stay in the back-hill for a year to reflect alone on his actions. Linghu Chong discovers some swordplay technique carvings in the cave there and practises them, thus becoming familiar with the swordplays of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance and how to overcome them. He also meets the reclusive swordsman Feng Qingyang, an elderly senior pugilist from the Mount Hua Sect, and learns the powerful "Nine Swords of Dugu
Dugu Qiubai
Dugu Qiubai is a fictional character appearing in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels. He is considered to be one of the most powerful characters in Jin Yong's wuxia world. He is nicknamed "Sword Devil" to reflect his prowess in and devotion to the practice of swordplay...
" from Feng Qingyang, which transforms him into a formidable swordsman.
The orthodox Five-Mountain Sword-Sect Alliance, although outwardly united, is troubled constantly by inward politicking. Linghu Chong gets embroiled into this and becomes badly wounded despite rescuing several disciples through his exalted swordplay, using the intricate Dugu swordsplay which Yue proclaims is unorthodox.
Linghu Chong meets the six brothers who call themselves Six Immortals of the Peach Valley who attempt to cure his wounds in their weird fashion but they only aggravate his wounds. He follows his teacher to Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
and meets a guqin
Guqin
The guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family...
-playing "old woman", who turns out to be a beautiful young maiden in disguise, Ren Yingying. Yue Buqun declares himself tired of Linghu Chong's associations with lowlives and strangers and deserts him. At Shaolin Monastery, Linghu Chong helps Ren Yingying recover from an injury after she is assaulted by some disciples from the orthodox sect and himself recovers from his severe inner injuries, but learns from the abbot that his master, Yue Buqun, has made public his expulsion from the Mount Hua Sect.
The orphaned Linghu Chong falls into despair as he is now an outcast of the wulin (martial artists' community). He leaves Shaolin and meets a stranger Xiang Wentian, whom he saves from dozens of enemies. Xiang Wentian becomes sworn brothers with Linghu Chong and brings him to a manor in Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, where Linghu encounters Ren Woxing, the former powerful leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, imprisoned underground in a scheme orchestrated by his deputy, Dongfang Bubai
Dongfang Bubai
Dongfang Bubai is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.Dongfang is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult . He castrated himself to learn the skills in the Sunflower Manual and becomes a formidable pugilist...
. Ren Woxing breaks out of prison by using Linghu Chong to replace himself. In return, Ren Woxing lets Linghu Chong master his own highly powerful inner skills, and thereafter rescues Linghu out of prison.
After several episodes and being framed again for his involvement with the orthodox sects, Ren Woxing offers his daughter's hand in marriage to Linghu Chong and persuades Linghu to join his cult, but Linghu declines. However, Linghu Chong, Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian are all involved in Ren's showdown to regain his sect leader position against his former deputy Dongfang Bubai. They find that Dongfang Bubai has turned effeminate after castrating himself in order to learn from an ancient martial arts manual created by a palace eunuch. He now engages in embroidery and takes a male lover. However, Dongfang Bubai remains so highly skilled and lightning fast in his reactions that the combined prowesses of Ren Woxing, Xiang Wentian and Linghu Chong cannot defeat him, and it is only through a ploy that the invincible Dongfang Bubai meets his doom. Ren Woxing regains control of his sect.
Owing to the fact he once helped the late leaders of the (North) Mount Heng sect, Linghu Chong is appointed head of a convoy of nun pugilists. He leaves later together with Ren Yingying to attend a special assembly of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance called by Zuo Lengchan, an ambitious leader of the Mount Song Sect. Zuo Lengchan attempts to force the other four sects to submit to his leadership, Yue Buqun uses the Bixie Swordplay to defeat and blind Zuo Lengchan. Yue Buqun becomes the new leader of the alliance, much to the surprise of everyone present.
After leaving the assembly, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying meet Lin Pingzhi, who is brutally killing members of the Qingcheng Sect to avenge his parents. Much to the surprise of Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying, they overhear a conversation between Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi, which reveals the fact that Lin Pingzhi and Yue Buqun have both mastered the Bixie Swordsplay. The Bixie Sword Manual is actually a corrupted version of the Sunflower Manual, which Dongfang Bubai learned his skills from, hence Lin Pingzhi and Yue Buqun's prowesses are compromised. Through this, Linghu Chong learns his respected master is actually a hypocrite who has plotted an elaborate scheme against Lin Pingzhi to obtain the manual, and Lin and Yue Buqun have both castrated themselves to learn the skills in the swordplay manual.
Yue Buqun tries to kill Lin Pingzhi, who is plotting his revenge on Yue and knows his secret, Zuo Lengchan and the rest of the orthodox sect members. The finale climaxes with the sect members trapped in the dark cave where Linghu Chong learned his swordplay from owing to Yue Buqun's treachery, where they slaughter one another out of paranoia and distrust. Both Yue Buqun's wife and daughter die for their husbands, while Yue is stabbed to death by Yilin, the young nun. Ren Woxing, intoxicated by power, masters an attack to overcome the scattered and fragmented orthodox sects then, coercing Linghu Chong to join his forces, but dies at the crucial moment from a stroke triggered by his own megalomania.
Ren Yingying is nominated as the new leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and she seeks a truce between the righteous and unorthodox sides. Three years later, Ren Yingying passes the leadership to Xiang Wentian and marries Linghu Chong. Disillusioned by all the stife caused by power struggles, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying retire from the jianghu, living happily after a wedding where the orthodox and unorthodox sects come to a temporary truce.
As a political allegory
In his afterword, Jin Yong mentions that The Smiling, Proud Wanderer can be read as a political allegory disguised as a martial arts novel. As an allegory, it can happen in "any dynasty or organization".Although Jin Yong did not leave any straight-forward evidence, many people believed that characters and factions in the book are representations of people and powers in era when the book is written (the late 1960s). One popular interpretation believes that the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
The Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five Chinese martial arts sects that appears in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. The five sects specialize in swordplay and they are based on the Five Sacred Mountains of China...
represents the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, with the leader Zuo Lengchan representing Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. The Sun Moon Holy Cult represents China with Dongfang Bubai
Dongfang Bubai
Dongfang Bubai is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.Dongfang is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult . He castrated himself to learn the skills in the Sunflower Manual and becomes a formidable pugilist...
representing Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. The other sects, including Shaolin
Shaolin Sect
The Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
, Wudang
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...
, and Emei
Emei Sect
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...
, represent NATO and countries aligned with the United States. This idea relates very well to George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, where the world is split into three superpowers: Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia.
This heavily politics related book is written from an interesting perspective. Instead of viewing the situation from a politician who is either wanting form a rebellion or struggling to keep the world peaceful, the main character, Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.-Biography:Linghu is an orphan and was taken into Yue Buqun's care as a child. Yue accepted him as a disciple and Linghu became a member of the Mount Hua Sect as Yue's most senior disciple. He...
, is a lonely individual who does not seek power in a power driven world.
Characters
- Linghu ChongLinghu ChongLinghu Chong is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.-Biography:Linghu is an orphan and was taken into Yue Buqun's care as a child. Yue accepted him as a disciple and Linghu became a member of the Mount Hua Sect as Yue's most senior disciple. He...
(令狐沖) – the scruffy, happy-go-lucky protagonist of the novel. An orphan, he was raised as Yue Buqun's eldest student. He masters the "Nine Swords of DuguDugu QiubaiDugu Qiubai is a fictional character appearing in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels. He is considered to be one of the most powerful characters in Jin Yong's wuxia world. He is nicknamed "Sword Devil" to reflect his prowess in and devotion to the practice of swordplay...
" after encountering Feng Qingyang and becomes a formidable swordsman. His sudden tremendous improvement in swordplay causes his teacher to suspect him of having stolen the "Bixie Swordplay" manual and mastered the skill. Even after his expulsion from Mount Hua, he remains loyal and respectful towards his teacher. Although his kind nature and heroic attributes make him a likeable person, they also negatively influence him by increasing his affiliations with jianghu lowlives, resulting in him being misunderstood by his fellows and other orthodox sects. He retires from the jianghu eventually to lead a peaceful life with his love interest, Ren Yingying.
- Ren Yingying (任盈盈) – the daughter of Ren Woxing. Although she is intelligent and caring towards her subordinates, she can be ruthless and cold-blooded at times. She met Linghu Chong and falls in love with him after being attracted to his heroic attributes, choosing to accompany him for the rest of her life.
Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance (五嶽劍派)
A loose alliance formed by the self-proclaimed righteous sects based on the five Sacred Mountains of ChinaSacred Mountains of China
The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into two groups, one associated with Taoism and the other with Buddhism. The group associated with Taoism is known as the Five Great Mountains , whereas the group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism .The sacred...
, namely Mount Song
Mount Song
Mount Song, known in Chinese as Song Shan , is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China...
, 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...
, Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
, (north) Mount Heng
Mount Heng (Shanxi)
Heng Shan or Heng Mountain in Shanxi Province is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. At 2,017 m, it is one of the five tallest peaks in China Proper. Heng Shan in Shanxi Province is sometimes known as the Northern Heng Shan, and the one in Hunan Province as Southern Heng Shan...
and (south) Mount Heng
Mount Heng (Hunan)
Mount Heng , also known as Nan Yue , is located in Hunan Province, People's Republic of China and is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism in China. Heng Shan is a mountain range long with 72 peaks and lies at 27.254798°N and 112.655743°E...
. The alliance is headed by the ambitious and power-hungry Mount Song Sect under the leadership of Zuo Lengchan, who has actually called for the alliance to consolidate power and challenge the Shaolin Sect
Shaolin Sect
The Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
and 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...
.
Sun Moon Holy Cult (日月神教)
The cult is based on Black Woods Cliff (黑木崖). It is of unknown origin and is better known to pugilists as the Demonic Cult (魔教). It is considered as unorthodox and evil to other sects and a common enemy of all the orthodox sects. Its members are notorious for engaging in all forms of cult-like activities and acts of evil. It is formerly led by Ren Woxing until Dongfang BubaiDongfang Bubai
Dongfang Bubai is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.Dongfang is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult . He castrated himself to learn the skills in the Sunflower Manual and becomes a formidable pugilist...
takes over after removing Ren from power with a scheme. Dongfang Bubai treats his followers cruelly, making them consume poison and giving them the antidote to temporarily ease their suffering only if they obey him. Ren Woxing practices the infamous "Star-sucking Skill" (吸星大法) and Dongfang Bubai is also said to be invincible after mastering the skills in the Sunflower Manual (葵花寶典). Xiang Wentian becomes its leader after the death of Ren Woxing and after Ren Yingying steps down.
Others
- Qingcheng Sect (青城派) - led by Yu Canghai. It is responsible for the destruction of the Fuwei Escort Agency in their attempt to possess the "Bixie Swordplay" manual owned by the Lin family.
- Fuwei Escort Agency (福威鏢局) - founded by Lin Yuantu, a former Shaolin monk. It is destroyed in Lin Zhennan's time by the Qingcheng Sect.
- Shaolin SectShaolin SectThe Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
(少林派) - Wudang SectWudang SectThe 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...
(武當派)
Films
| Year | | Production | | Cast | | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers Studio The Shaw Brothers Studio , owned by Shaw Brothers Ltd., was the foremost and the largest movie production company of Hong Kong movies.From their distribution base in Singapore where they founded parent company Shaw Organization in 1924, and as a strategic development of their movie distribution... (Hong Kong) |
Wong Yue Wong Yue Wong Yue was a Hong Kong martial arts film actor. He starred in many Shaw Brothers Studio films and is known for his comic roles in films with Gordon Liu, such as Dirty Ho, Spiritual Boxer II, 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Eight Diagram Pole Fighter.He is sometimes credited as Wong Yu and as... , Shih Szu Shih Szu Shih Szu is an actress from the Republic of China . She was born Lei Qui Si to parents from Hunan Province. A ballet student from the age of six, at the age of sixteen she joined Shaw Brothers Studio and began appearing in films such as The Crimson Charm and The Rescue... , Michael Chan, Ling Yun |
See The Proud Youth The Proud Youth The Proud Youth is a 1978 Hong Kong film loosely based on Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Sun Chung and starred Wong Yue, Shih Szu, Michael Chan and Ling Yun.-Cast:... |
| 1991 | Film Workshop Film Workshop Film Workshop Co. Ltd. , is a Hong Kong production company and film distributor. It was founded in April 1984 by producer/director Tsui Hark and his wife, Nansun Shi... (Hong Kong) |
Sam Hui, Sharla Cheung Sharla Cheung Sharla Cheung Man , also known as Cheung Man is an actress working in the Hong Kong film industry.... , Cecilia Yip Cecilia Yip Cecilia Yip Tung is a Hong Kong actress. Cecilia Yip is a well-regarded actress from Hong Kong whose work is known throughout Asia, especially Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She began her acting career in 1982 with "Nomad" in which she was nominated for The Best Newcomer of The Year Award... , Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor. The Chinese language media refers to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings , with more than 60 million records sold as of 2000.... , Fennie Yuen, Lau Siu-ming |
See The Swordsman The Swordsman The Swordsman or Swordsman is a 1990 Hong Kong wuxia film. King Hu was credited as the director but he allegedly left the project midway, and the film was completed by a team led by producer Tsui Hark. The film is adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer... |
| 1992 | Jet Li Jet Li The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce... , Rosamund Kwan Rosamund Kwan Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam is a Chinese actress born in Hong Kong with ancestry in Shenyang, Liaoning in China on her father's side and from Shanghai on her mother's side. She is the daughter of Shaw Brothers star Kwan Shan and actress Cheung Bing Sai... , Michelle Reis Michelle Reis -Biography:Reis was born in Macau which was then a Portuguese colony. Reis is of mixed ancestry as her father is Portuguese and her mother is Chinese. So, she can be considered as a macanese. Reis attended Maryknoll Convent School, and matriculated from St. Paul's Secondary School.Reis started... , Brigitte Lin Brigitte Lin Brigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies... , Fennie Yuen |
See Swordsman II Swordsman II Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film. It was directed by Ching Siu-tung and Stanley Tong and written by Hanson Chan, Tang Pik-yin and Tsui Hark. The film was the second part of a trilogy. It starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle... |
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| 1993 | Brigitte Lin, Joey Wong Joey Wong Joey Wong is a Hong Kong based Taiwanese-born actress.-Biography:Wong was born on January 31, 1967 and raised in Taipei and also received a secondary school education there. She was enrolled in the drama course of Kuo Kwan Arts School... , Yu Rongguang Yu Rongguang Yu Rongguang is a Chinese actor and martial artist who started his career in Hong Kong. He is best known for the title role in Iron Monkey along with Donnie Yen as well as being featured in films such as The East Is Red, My Father Is a Hero, Musa.Yu is also known for appearing in roles for films... |
See The East is Red (1993 film) The East is Red (1993 film) The East is Red, also known as Swordsman III, is a 1993 Hong Kong film loosely based on Dongfang Bubai, a character from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The film was produced by Tsui Hark, directed by Ching Siu-tung, and starred Brigitte Lin, Joey Wong and Yu Rongguang... |
Television
| Year | | Production | | Linghu Chong | | Ren Yingying | | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | TVB Television Broadcasts Limited Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967... (Hong Kong) |
Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-Fat Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... |
Rebecca Chan Rebecca Chan Rebecca Chan Sau Chu is a TVB actress. She joined TVB in 1979, when she competed at the Miss Hong Kong 1979 pageant. She finished as a top 10 semifinalist.-Filmography:-Variety show :*1981: Sports World TVB... |
See The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1984 TV series) The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1984 TV series) The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. It was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong from in 1984.-Cast:*Chow Yun-fat as Ling-wu Chung*Rebecca Chan as Yam Ying-ying... |
| 1985 | TTV Taiwan Television Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd. , commonly known as TTV is launched), is the first television broadcast station in Taiwan... (Taiwan) |
Bryan Leung | Leanne Liu | |
| 1996 | TVB (Hong Kong) | Jacky Lui | Fiona Leung | See State of Divinity (1996 TV series) State of Divinity (1996 TV series) State of Divinity is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong in 1996.-Cast:*Jacky Lui as Ling-wu Chung*Fiona Leung as Yam Ying-ying... |
| 2000 | CTV China Television China Television Company, Ltd. was established on September 3, 1968 by the then-ruling Nationalist Party of the Republic of China . The party owned the majority stake of the network... (Taiwan) |
Richie Ren Richie Ren Richie Jen is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He has become extremely popular throughout Asia, particularly in the Chinese-speaking countries. He graduated from the Chinese Culture University's physical education department.-Films:... |
Anita Yuen Anita Yuen Anita Yuen Wing-yi is a Hong Kong film and television actress. She was the winner of the 1990 Miss Hong Kong Pageant.-Pageant career:At the age of 18, Yuen entered the Miss Hong Kong 1990 pageant. She was a heavy favorite to win the crown from the semifinal to final. During the semifinals on August... |
See State of Divinity (2000 TV series) State of Divinity (2000 TV series) State of Divinity is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CTV in Taiwan in 2000.-Cast:*Richie Ren as Linghu Chong*Anita Yuen as Ren Yingying... |
| MediaCorp MediaCorp Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making.... (Singapore) |
Steve Ma | Fann Wong Fann Wong Fann Woon Fong , better known by her stage name Fann Wong, is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year... |
See The Legendary Swordsman The Legendary Swordsman The Legendary Swordsman is a Singaporean television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on TCS-8 in Singapore in 2000.-Plot:... |
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| 2001 | CCTV China Central Television China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers... (Mainland China) |
Li Yapeng Li Yapeng Li Yapeng is a Chinese actor. He starred two CCTV TV series adaptations of Louis Cha's Wuxia novels; Guo Jing in The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Linghu Chong in Laughing in the Wind .In 2005 he married actress and singer Faye Wong, and had a daughter by her in May 2006, Li Yan... |
Xu Qing | See Laughing in the Wind Laughing in the Wind Laughing in the Wind is a 2001 Chinese television series produced by Zhang Jizhong, starring Li Yapeng and Xu Qing in the leading roles. The series is an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer... |
Comics
- State of Divinity - a manhuaManhuaManhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
series by Lee Chi Ching. A total of 26 volumes were published by Ming Ho in Hong Kong and M&C (Gramedia Group) in Indonesia.
Stage productions
- In 2006, the Hong Kong Dance Company adapted this story into a stage play, starring Rosanne WongRosanne WongRosanne Wong is the member of a Hong Kong cantopop music group 2R alongside younger sister Race Wong.She was born in Malaysia and moved to Singapore with her family at a very young age...
, Race WongRace WongRace Wong Yuen-Ling is a Hong Kong actress and a member of the Hong Kong-based Cantopop music group 2R alongside her sister Rosanne Wong. She is now a Singaporean resident.She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English.-Album:...
, Liu Yinghong, Su Shu, Chen Lei and Mi Tao, as a jubilee presentation to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary.
- In 2010, the Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America presented the premiere of Laughing in the Wind: A Cautionary Tale in Martial Arts in New York City. The play was adapted and directed by Joanna Chan and featured 18 actors playing 26 roles.
Video games
- Swordman Online - developed by Perfect WorldPerfect World (company)Perfect World is a China-based online game company specializing in MMORPGs. Beijing Perfect World Co. was founded in 2004 by Chi Yufeng, the president of Human Software Corporation. The company aims to develop and market games with Chinese characteristics...
. The game also features additional sects that do not appear in the novel.
External links
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer 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....