Novelist Louis Cha, who wrote under the name Jin Yong, holds his book "Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge" at his office in Hong Kong in 2002. Photo: Reuters
Behind the Story: The life and legacy of Louis Cha ‘Jin Yong’
- Zhou Xin talks about the cultural impact of Louis Cha's wuxia novels in mainland China as well as his pivotal role as founder and editor of Ming Pao.
Novelist Louis Cha, who wrote under the name Jin Yong, holds his book "Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge" at his office in Hong Kong in 2002. Photo: Reuters
Bong Miquiabas speaks with Zhou Xin, SCMP political economy editor, about Louis Cha. How he grew up in the village that was the setting for Cha's first novel, the importance of wuxia fiction in Chinese culture, the massive cross-generational popularity of his books in China and how it's wrong to consider Cha as 'the Chinese Tolkien'.
He also talks about Cha's career as a journalist, and the important milestones in his career as editor of Ming Pao, such as his coverage of the flood of migrants to Hong Kong from mainland China and his famous front-page editorial opposing nuclear weapons. Zhou Xin also reflects Cha reconciling his relationship with China, after his father was executed during the Cultural Revolution, and his relationship with Deng Xiaoping.
