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How wuxia martial arts novelists Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng became legends
- A century after both were born in 1924, their influence on martial arts culture – from TV series and movies to books – continues unabated
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Standing in his “18 dragon subduing palms” stance, a large sculpture of Guo Jing – one of the best-known protagonists in Chinese wuxia martial arts fiction – has welcomed new arrivals at Hong Kong International Airport since March.
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The 3.5-metre-tall (11-foot) statue commemorates 100 years since the birth of the character’s creator, Jin Yong (real name Louis Cha Leung-yung), one of the most popular wuxia novelists of all time.
Another of those novelists – Chen Wentong, better known by his pseudonym Liang Yusheng – is also having the centenary of his birth celebrated this year.
Few writers captured the spirit, philosophy and beauty of Chinese martial arts in text as vividly and brilliantly as Jin Yong and Liang. Their legacy has inspired countless TV series, movies, radio dramas, even video games, and continues to do so years after their deaths.
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