Yang Kang
Encyclopedia
Yang Kang is the fictional antagonist and the foil
to the protagonist, Guo Jing
, in Jin Yong's wuxia
novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes
.
, and moved to Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou
) after the Jurchens conquered the northern part of the Song Dynasty
. Yang Tiexin met Bao Xiruo in the neighboring town Hongmei Village and married her. Two years after their marriage, Yang Tiexin was apparently killed when soldiers raided the village. Bao was heavily pregnant with Yang Kang then, and was rescued by Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Dynasty. She gave birth to Yang Kang later and Yang is raised as a Jurchen noble and he adopts his foster father's family name, "Wanyan". As such, he was initially known as "Wanyan Kang" before his real heritage is revealed.
Yang's given name "Kang" is the complementary of his sworn brother's "Jing". Together, their given names make up "Jingkang" (靖康). Their fathers and a Quanzhen
Taoist, Qiu Chuji
, named them as such to remind them of the Jingkang Incident
and to be loyal subjects to their homeland in the Song Dynasty. He is also a descendant of Yang Zaixing, a Song military general who participated actively in the war against the Jin invaders.
When Yang finally meets his sworn brother, Guo Jing
, Guo attempts to persuade him to join his side and serve their homeland of Song. Yang refuses as he is tempted by the wealth, fame and power of being a Jurchen noble. He collaborates with the Jurchens to exploit the Han Chinese
, his own race and lies to Guo that he is willing to join Guo's side. At one point, he attempts to kill Guo by stabbing him with a dagger. Yang is also responsible for the deaths of five of the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", as well as the murder of Ouyang Ke. Yang wants to become Ouyang Feng
's disciple, and he murders Ouyang Ke secretly so he can take his place and frames Guo for the deed.
Yang meets his retributive end in the Temple of the Iron Spear at Jiaxing
. Huang Rong
is about to reveal the truth behind the deaths of Ouyang Ke and the Freaks when Yang hits her with his palm in an attempt to silence her. However, Yang hits the spikes on Huang's armour instead. The armour is stained with venom from one of the Freaks' corpses after Huang checked them. The poison seeps through the wounds on Yang's palm into his body and kills him eventually. Ironically, the venom that killed Yang was used by him to kill one of the Freaks. Ouyang Feng refuses to save Yang when he learns that Yang is the one who murdered his nephew (Ouyang Ke, who is actually his son).
Yang dies a slow and painful death in the temple as the poison works its way through his body. Wanyan Honglie and his men abandon him in fear of being infected by the poison. When dying, Yang finally sees his mistakes and blames Wanyan Honglie for his plight. When Guo Jing arrives at the temple, he is horrified to see that Yang's corpse has been devoured by hungry crows and ravens, which have also died from poisoning. Guo buried whatever that is left of Yang outside the temple. Yang's teacher, Qiu Chuji, arrives later and constructs a tomb for Yang after Ke Zhen'e informed him about the incident. On the headstone, Qiu marks "Yang Kang - The Unworthy Student. Erected by his untalented teacher, Qiu Chuji" (不肖弟子楊康之墓, 不才業師丘處機書碑).
, for the first time in a martial arts contest for a spouse. He defeats her but refuses to marry her after his victory. He is unaware that Mu's foster father, Mu Yi, is actually his biological father, Yang Tiexin. However, their love relationship is often strained as they have conflicting views over where their loyalties lie. Yang wants to remain as a Jurchen noble and indulge in wealth, fame and power, while Mu Nianci remains loyal to their homeland of Song.
Mu is disappointed with Yang when she recognises his treachery and stubborn refusal to acknowledge his ethnicity. Yang becomes a race traitor in her eyes and she leaves him for good. Mu never saw Yang again, even until his death. However, Mu is already pregnant with Yang's child. She gives birth to a baby boy, who is named "Yang Guo
" by Guo Jing
.
of the Quanzhen Sect
finds Yang and accepts him as a disciple upon learning that Yang is the son of Yang Tiexin. Qiu teaches Yang the martial arts of Quanzhen in order to prepare for an upcoming contest with Guo Jing
, as well as some skills he created to counter the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan". Yang also learnt an incomplete set of the "Yang Family Spear Skill" (楊家槍法) from Qiu, whose knowledge of the skill is based from his encounter with Yang Tiexin.
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
to the protagonist, 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...
, in Jin Yong's 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...
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...
.
Birth and heritage
Yang's hometown is in Niu Family Village. His father, Yang Tiexin, was from ShandongShandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, and moved to Lin'an (present-day 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...
) after the Jurchens conquered the northern part of the Song Dynasty
Song 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...
. Yang Tiexin met Bao Xiruo in the neighboring town Hongmei Village and married her. Two years after their marriage, Yang Tiexin was apparently killed when soldiers raided the village. Bao was heavily pregnant with Yang Kang then, and was rescued by Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Dynasty. She gave birth to Yang Kang later and Yang is raised as a Jurchen noble and he adopts his foster father's family name, "Wanyan". As such, he was initially known as "Wanyan Kang" before his real heritage is revealed.
Yang's given name "Kang" is the complementary of his sworn brother's "Jing". Together, their given names make up "Jingkang" (靖康). Their fathers and a Quanzhen
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...
Taoist, Qiu Chuji
Qiu Chuji
Qiu Chuji was a Daoist disciple of Wang Chongyang. He was the most famous among the Seven True Daoists of the North...
, named them as such to remind them of the Jingkang Incident
Jingkang Incident
The Jingkang Incident , the Humiliation of Jingkang , or The Disorders of the Jingkang Period took place in 1127 when invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin Dynasty besieged and sacked Bianjing , the capital of the Song Dynasty of China...
and to be loyal subjects to their homeland in the Song Dynasty. He is also a descendant of Yang Zaixing, a Song military general who participated actively in the war against the Jin invaders.
Treachery and retribution
Yang discovers his true heritage when his biological father, Yang Tiexin, who had been apparently killed several years ago before his birth, appears to his mother, Bao Xiruo. Bao tries to explain to her son that Yang Tiexin is his father. However, Yang refuses to acknowledge Yang Tiexin as his father. In his eyes, Wanyan Honglie is a fatherly figure to him, who showers love and care on him and provides him with everything he wants. Actually, Wanyan is responsible for the deaths of his parents, as Yang's parents commit suicide subsequently after being cornered by Wanyan and his soldiers.When Yang finally meets his sworn brother, 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...
, Guo attempts to persuade him to join his side and serve their homeland of Song. Yang refuses as he is tempted by the wealth, fame and power of being a Jurchen noble. He collaborates with the Jurchens to exploit 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...
, his own race and lies to Guo that he is willing to join Guo's side. At one point, he attempts to kill Guo by stabbing him with a dagger. Yang is also responsible for the deaths of five of the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", as well as the murder of Ouyang Ke. Yang wants to become Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng 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...
's disciple, and he murders Ouyang Ke secretly so he can take his place and frames Guo for the deed.
Yang meets his retributive end in the Temple of the Iron Spear at Jiaxing
Jiaxing
Jiaxing is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu to the north....
. 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:...
is about to reveal the truth behind the deaths of Ouyang Ke and the Freaks when Yang hits her with his palm in an attempt to silence her. However, Yang hits the spikes on Huang's armour instead. The armour is stained with venom from one of the Freaks' corpses after Huang checked them. The poison seeps through the wounds on Yang's palm into his body and kills him eventually. Ironically, the venom that killed Yang was used by him to kill one of the Freaks. Ouyang Feng refuses to save Yang when he learns that Yang is the one who murdered his nephew (Ouyang Ke, who is actually his son).
Yang dies a slow and painful death in the temple as the poison works its way through his body. Wanyan Honglie and his men abandon him in fear of being infected by the poison. When dying, Yang finally sees his mistakes and blames Wanyan Honglie for his plight. When Guo Jing arrives at the temple, he is horrified to see that Yang's corpse has been devoured by hungry crows and ravens, which have also died from poisoning. Guo buried whatever that is left of Yang outside the temple. Yang's teacher, Qiu Chuji, arrives later and constructs a tomb for Yang after Ke Zhen'e informed him about the incident. On the headstone, Qiu marks "Yang Kang - The Unworthy Student. Erected by his untalented teacher, Qiu Chuji" (不肖弟子楊康之墓, 不才業師丘處機書碑).
Love relationship with Mu Nianci
Yang meets his love interest, Mu NianciMu Nianci
Mu Nianci is a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She is the love interest of the primary antagonist Yang Kang and the mother of Yang Guo, the protagonist of the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
, for the first time in a martial arts contest for a spouse. He defeats her but refuses to marry her after his victory. He is unaware that Mu's foster father, Mu Yi, is actually his biological father, Yang Tiexin. However, their love relationship is often strained as they have conflicting views over where their loyalties lie. Yang wants to remain as a Jurchen noble and indulge in wealth, fame and power, while Mu Nianci remains loyal to their homeland of Song.
Mu is disappointed with Yang when she recognises his treachery and stubborn refusal to acknowledge his ethnicity. Yang becomes a race traitor in her eyes and she leaves him for good. Mu never saw Yang again, even until his death. However, Mu is already pregnant with Yang's child. She gives birth to a baby boy, who is named "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....
" by 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...
.
Quanzhen Sect
Qiu ChujiQiu Chuji
Qiu Chuji was a Daoist disciple of Wang Chongyang. He was the most famous among the Seven True Daoists of the North...
of the 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...
finds Yang and accepts him as a disciple upon learning that Yang is the son of Yang Tiexin. Qiu teaches Yang the martial arts of Quanzhen in order to prepare for an upcoming contest with 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...
, as well as some skills he created to counter the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan". Yang also learnt an incomplete set of the "Yang Family Spear Skill" (楊家槍法) from Qiu, whose knowledge of the skill is based from his encounter with Yang Tiexin.
Nine Yin White Bone Claw
Yang learns the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" (九陰白骨爪), an unorthodox derivation of the Nine Yin Manual, from Mei Chaofeng. He stumbles upon her hiding place and agrees to provide her with food and shelter. In return, Mei teaches Yang the Claw.External links
Yang Kang 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....